Wiranto's exit

Wiranto's exit

Whatever the reason for it, there is no denying the strong
element of drama in President Abdurrahman Wahid's stunning
decision on Sunday night to suspend Gen. Wiranto, the ex-
Indonesian Military chief, from his powerful post as coordinating
minister for political affairs and security.

For more than a fortnight, Indonesians, and perhaps many
others around the globe as well, were kept in suspense as to
whether the President had either the power or the courage to do
what obviously had to be done: end the match of wills between him
and Wiranto by removing the recalcitrant general from the
Cabinet.

That Wiranto had to go had for a long time been obvious to
everyone. For the record, an official inquiry by an Indonesian
human rights commission implicated Wiranto, as the then commander
of the Indonesian Military, in the post-referendum violence in
East Timor in September last year. But even before that, East
Timorese proindependence leaders and a few Indonesian human
rights activists had accused the Wiranto-led Indonesian Military
of having been either directly or indirectly involved in the
rampage.

With the official Indonesian inquiry putting at least some of
the blame for the East Timor mayhem on Wiranto's shoulders, the
general's continued presence in the Cabinet became an obvious
liability to President Abdurrahman Wahid's government, both at
home and abroad. Moreover, while the human rights commission's
findings dictated that Wiranto's case be officially investigated,
his position in the Cabinet would have made it awkward for state
prosecutors to perform their job properly.

For Wiranto personally, an independent trial in an Indonesian
court of law is the best option for him given the circumstances.
The only other apparent option is a trial in an international
court, which could be expected to be a good deal less lenient
than an Indonesian court, and which could cause international
embarrassment not only for Wiranto personally, but for the nation
as well.

Hence, President Abdurrahman's repeated remark that by calling
for Wiranto to resign voluntarily he was acting in the best
interest not only of Wiranto, but of the country as well. This
was clearly the case, because foreign governments and investors
were watching to see how the Indonesian Military would react if
Wiranto persisted in his stubborn refusal to resign, or was
forced to step down.

As it happened, the standoff ended rather happily. Wiranto has
been replaced ad interim by Minister of Home Affairs Surjadi
Soedirdja, and the military leadership has affirmed its continued
support of the President, as has the House of Representatives.
Gen. Wiranto himself has accepted his replacement as the
President's prerogative.

Throughout this episode, Indonesia and the world have been
presented with an example of Abdurrahman's peculiar style of
getting things done. For over a fortnight, the President kept
people guessing about what he was planning to do. Up to the last
moment, the President made it appear as if he was willing to
compromise and allow Wiranto to remain in his post, pending an
official probe into his alleged involvement in the violence in
East Timor.

When the final decision came, close to midnight on Sunday, it
caught everybody by surprise. Most newspapers in Jakarta were
caught off guard and missed the President's announcement in their
morning editions. A deliberate diversionary tactic? Hard to say.
But anyone who has an interest in "reading" Abdurrahman and his
apparent inconsistencies had better be aware that the Indonesian
President has long had a reputation as a skillful politician.

But what is most important is that the job of removing Wiranto
from the Cabinet has been achieved by a civilian, democratically
elected President, with no shocks or upheavals.

That is a great achievement and a giant step in the right
direction for the country. As for the rest, we believe the
President will keep his word and treat Wiranto with all the
deference that is possible under the circumstances.