Questioning Gus Dur's health

Questioning Gus Dur's health

From Suara Karya

Recently a certain newspaper said "Several members of the House of Representatives (DPR), People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the political elite considered that President Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur, was still sick after having suffered two strokes." The reporter wrote "In spite of his condition, why did so many MPR members elect him?"

Voting by the Assembly took place on Oct. 20, 1999. Those voting for Abdurrahman were 373 members, for Megawati Soekarnoputri 313 members, while five members abstained and nine members were absent. The total Assembly members eligible to vote were 700.

Reading these figures, it can be concluded that in fact the 373 members voting for Abdurrahman, who suffers from poor sight and has had two strokes which have disabled him from walking without the help of someone to support him, were also "sick". I mean to say that at that time they did not use common sense and did not consider the state of his physical and mental state unlike what other people in the world do when electing a president.

Second, the difference of the vote between Abdurrahman and Megawati was relatively small, only 60 votes, or less than 9 percent of the Assembly's total members.

Third, perhaps the Assembly members having opinions are those who voted for Abdurrahman but were later aware of their mistake after studying the administration's performance, which is considered being on the other side.

It seems that many parties hope to be the first ones to rectify the correctable mistakes made by the President of their own choice by way of an impeachment to be brought against him in the annual General Session to be held from Aug. 5 to Aug. 18, 2000.

Well, who are they? Are they from the Golkar Party and the "central axis"? As we know, it was this group which nominated Abdurrahman as the fourth president.

SUNGKOWO SOKAWERA

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