Wake up call for Indonesia's President Abdurrahman
Wake up call for Indonesia's President Abdurrahman
NEW DELHI: It's true that Abdurrahman Wahid took on the challenge of being Indonesia's first elected President in four decades in a bit of a mess.
In July this year, government auditors came up with the revelation that 46 percent of the country's state funds, roughly 11 times the amount promised by the IMF, had vanished without a trace, during the 1998-1999 fiscal year. Abdurrahman was not then in charge and, therefore, is not being blamed.
But neither his management of the economy, nor the pursuit of offenders has left the country's parliament satisfied. He got into a major row with the House of Representatives over the sacking of the State Enterprise and Trade and Industry ministers, when he said that the law empowering the House to summon him for an explanation was ultra vires the 1945 constitution.
He later apologized and then kicked up a fresh row when he said that he would be pursuing some important legislators for aiding and abetting sectarian and separatist violence.
It is known that relations between him and Amien Rais, Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, which has the power to remove him, are not good and commentators read a strong political message to the latter.
By all accounts, Abdurrahman hasn't been a very effective president, a fact he himself partially acknowledged when he handed over what he called "daily technical duties" to Vice-President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
He is almost blind and his concentration is often under stress. The Assembly now has some ammunition on him: a Rp 35 billion diversion from the state food agency and a US$2 billion gift from the Sultan of Brunei.
If not handled properly, this can lead to impeachment. Parliament has already deputed 50 legislators to investigate the two scandals. Abdurrahman took some of the pressure off when he made a conciliatory speech before the Assembly in August, but if he doesn't show results in the economy soon, these threats may crystallize.
All ministers handling the economy resigned, new faces were inducted, but the Jakarta stock exchange refused to respond. Earlier, the central bank governor and the government's principal intermediary with the IMF were also sacked by Abdurrahman for reasons having to do with reducing the influence of Megawati's PDI-P in the government.
Abdurrahman gives the impression of not having a grip on his government and often seems puzzled by his own authority. He looks increasingly as though he can't run the country.
-- The Statesman / Asia News Network