Toward impeachment?

Toward impeachment?

It seems hardly a day goes by without President Abdurrahman
Wahid getting himself into some kind of trouble. With the furor
over the President's tactless criticism of Singapore's Senior
Minister Lee Kuan Yew hardly having the time to die down, 151
members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday exercised
their "right of opinion" by asking the House to issue a
memorandum in connection with the President's alleged breaches of
the Constitution, the State Policy Guidelines, the presidential
oath and a number of decrees issued last year by the country's
highest policy-making body, the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR).

In what could well turn out to be the first step toward
impeachment, the 151 legislators, representing six factions,
including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) which is the largest faction in the House, Golkar,
the Reform faction, the United Development Party (PPP) and the
Crescent Star Party (PBB), accused the President of having
violated the Constitution by allowing the hoisting of the Morning
Star flag of the Free Papua Movement as well as several important
MPR decrees such as those on the banning the communism and on
good governance. The factions also censured the President for
appointing a new chief of police without consulting the House,
and for a lack of sincerity in his pledge to share tasks with
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

It will take much work and time, though, from this point on to
move toward impeachment. First, the proposal which was submitted
on Wednesday will have to go through four stages of deliberation
before it is debated in a plenary session of the House.

If the House approves the proposal, it will draw up a
memorandum which is then delivered to the President. The
President is then given three months to respond. Of course, the
President could simply ignore the document and go his own way as
if nothing happened. He has done that a few times before.

If that were the case, a second memorandum would be delivered
to the President who would have one month to respond. In the
event that this second memorandum is also ignored, the House of
Representatives could then call on the MPR to convene a special
session to impeach the President.

Clearly, this process will take time -- if it ever goes so far
as the House calling for a special session of the MPR.
Nevertheless, the fact that 151 members of several of the most
important factions in the House have agreed to exercise their
right of opinion, is warning enough for President Abdurrahman
Wahid to tread more carefully from now on. Add that to the fact
that Megawati has, as reported by the media, stated her readiness
to take over the presidency as long as it is done according to
procedures prescribed by the Constitution. The possibility of
impeachment is a hazard that President Abdurrahman Wahid can
hardly afford to ignore.

It is true that under current circumstances, a change in the
national leadership is, or should be, the very last option
Indonesians should resort to. After all, a change in the
presidency may not, or at least may not immediately, bring the
drastic improvements that Indonesians yearn for. On the other
hand, it is more likely to usher in a new period of political
instability, however transient. The best thing that can happen to
this nation at present is for the President to learn his lessons
and change his ways for the better. Unless he does that, this
country is most likely headed for four more years of instability.