To impeach or not to impeach

To impeach or not to impeach

Just how close Indonesia got to a state of emergency and to a
reshuffle of its military leaders last weekend is difficult to
tell precisely; but it looked like a very close shave indeed.
Megawati, perhaps buoyed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's success in
the Philippines, scuttled about and, despite her normal
taciturnity, made speeches that, this time, gave us more than a
hint as to the approach she would adopt should she, albeit
reluctantly, become president.

Despite the tension in the air, President Abdurrahman "Gus
Dur" Wahid nonchalantly took a slow train to central Java,
missing the very Cabinet meeting Megawati had been so keen to
attend.

Gus Dur's veiled threats and apparent indifference to the
hectic activity of his vice president and senior military
officers may, though, have been part of yet another of his subtle
strategies that gained him the presidency and removed opposition
to him in the military in the first place. If so, it may be
working, for now many are having second thoughts about the
impeachment process. This will almost certainly frustrate Amien
Rais whose chameleon-like maneuverings within the Axis Force are
undoubtedly aimed at improving his chances of being elected
president in 2004.

Amien Rais must know that Megawati's chances of doing any
better than Gus Dur in governing this huge, unwieldy and socio-
economically sick land that is currently in the throes of moving
from dictatorship to democracy, are very slim indeed. All the
more so if she rises to power by alienating the Nahdlatul Ulama
and the President's National Awakening Party. What better way for
Amien Rais to discredit his opponents than to threaten to impeach
one protagonist until forced to hand the reigns of this bucking
bronco to another?

Just the opposite, however, is the best way to keep this
nation together and on course -- by demonstrating to all
concerned a high level of cooperation between leaders for the
sake of the country. Those who place their personal ambition
before the welfare of the people should not be allowed to
engineer division purely for the sake of political gain.

FRANK RICHARDSON

Tangerang, Banten