Suggesting that Mega resign

Suggesting that Mega resign

Indonesian politics is full of surprises, logical and
illogical. Like lightning coming out of the blue, one of the
younger sisters of Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri has
suddenly suggested that Megawati should resign her post to make
way for national peace just when the most likely thing to happen
in the horizon is the impeachment by the People's Consultative
Assembly, at the request of the House of Representatives, of the
incumbent, President Abdurrahman Wahid.

If the two can no longer cooperate in discharging their tasks
as President and Vice President, "my sister should better resign
to show her statesmanship, like the late former vice president
Moh. Hatta, who stepped down when he could no longer work
together with the late president Sukarno", Rachmawati suggested.

It is astonishing how this sister, who is chairperson of the
Sukarno Educational Institute and founder of the Sukarno
University, has failed to see what is actually going on in
Indonesian politics today. How the national political parties are
now mostly pinning their hope on Megawati, to take the lead in
getting rid of President Abdurrahman Wahid, through persuasion or
a gentle push.

It should be recalled that in former president Soeharto's era,
Sukarno University had not been granted permission to open. Only
after Abdurrahman Wahid became President, did he allow the
activities of the Sukarno Education Institute to start up. In
gratitude for the beau geste by Abdurrahman Wahid, Rachmawati
seems willing to return the favor even to the extent of
sacrificing her sister's career and reputation. At least it
appears so on the surface.

Eight of the 10 political parties have withdrawn their
political support for Abdurrahman Wahid through their motion of
censure or vote of no confidence. Knowing that he is politically
beleaguered on all sides, Abdurrahman Wahid has resorted to a
different tactic; to influence the other two sisters of Vice
President Megawati, by visiting them at their homes. It is more
fitting to call the practice a "political intrigue" than a
political tactic, carried out by the President's camp.

If he is to save the day, Abdurrahman Wahid should mobilize
all his resources to defeat the censure motion now before the
People's Consultative Assembly in a fair and constitutional
manner.

GANDHI SUKARDI

Jakarta