Search continues for political compromise

JAKARTA (JP): With only 15 days remaining until President Abdurrahman Wahid faces his censure deadline, the delicate search for a political compromise remained a distant prospect with key figures in the negotiations sending mixed signals on the progress achieved.

A member of the team of seven ministers tasked with unknotting the impasse and drafting a compromise claimed that Abdurrahman, despite publicly ruling out delegating more power to the Vice President, claimed that the President had personally agreed to go beyond the current presidential decree on task-sharing with his deputy.

However Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri was quoted as saying on Monday that a People's Consultative Assembly special session remained very much on the cards and "could not be halted."

Nevertheless, it was unclear whether the special session she forecast would be geared toward the removal of the President or an affirmation of a delegation of power to herself.

Her comments came later in the day after she had received an update during the morning from two members of the team of seven -- Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Attorney General Marzuki Darusman -- while seeing off Abdurrahman who left for a one-day trip to Thailand.

Marzuki, during an afternoon telephone interview with The Jakarta Post was upbeat on the prospect of a compromise.

"As far as I know from talks with the President, I see that the President is willing to revise Decree No. 121," he said, referring to the power sharing decree issued in August.

When asked why the President's stance was suddenly softening, Marzuki said: "It's because of (his) evaluation of the latest political development".

He did not elaborate but added that the decision was only recently taken by Abdurrahman.

As of Friday, Abdurrahman remained defiant, ruling out more power for Megawati and insisted that he would not respond to the House of Representatives's second memorandum of censure.

Top politicians and the Cabinet have suggested that giving real executive power to Megawati would be the most realistic choice to end the current political impasse.

Abdurrahman has until the end of the month to respond to the censure, after which the House can propose an Assembly special session to assess the President's accountability.

Marzuki on Monday said that, "if we want to rearrange the relationship between the President and the Vice President, it must go beyond the existing decree, which is what has been brought into the spotlight by the House."

He added the fact that Megawati leads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the largest House faction, which must be taken into consideration.

"This problem centers not only on Ibu Megawati as Vice President, but also as the leader of PDI Perjuangan, the party that will take the issue to an Assembly special session."

The team is expected to meet with the President after he returns home today to discuss the proposal.

Assembly

Later on Monday afternoon, deputy chairman of the Muhammadiyah Youth, Najamuddin Ramly, after meeting the Vice President quoted her as saying that the "Assembly session is something that cannot be halted" as the second censure had already been issued.

Najamuddin added that during the meeting with Muhammadiyah's executive board, Megawati had replied "yes" when asked whether the country's current political problem could only be dealt with by an Assembly special session.

Meanwhile from Bangkok, Abdurrahman claimed that reports of his possible political demise were exaggerated.

Speaking at a media conference, after a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Abdurrahman said the House and the media were "misled in their estimation (of events in Indonesia)".

"The facts are not like that," the President said, as quoted by AFP.

In a separate development, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Endriartono Sutarto in Padalarang, West Java, revealed that the Indonesian Military (TNI) had advised the President "not to plan, or even consider, declaring a state of emergency, which is only used for the dissolution of the House."

He warned of "chaos" if the President remained adamant, but stressed his belief that Abdurrahman, as a "highly respected kyai (religious leader)", would seriously reconsider such options.

Endriartono also said he was confident that the Navy and Air Force were of the same opinion.

Army Strategic Reserves Command chief Lt. Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu also said that any possible change in the TNI leadership, including chiefs of staff, should not be motivated to achieve certain political aims.

"The TNI should not be politicized, any changes should not be based on political factors," said Ryamizard who was also in Padalarang to attend a ceremony.

"Actually I feel sorry for Gus Dur, he's a good man. We often have breakfast together and there has been no talk of changes," he said.

"This must be the work of whisperers close to him." (byg/dja/02)