Safe, for now

Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid has won a temporary reprieve... But, says AMIT BARUAH, his future is in the hands of his Vice-President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri.

MR. ABDURRAHMAN Wahid has won a temporary reprieve. The Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led by the Vice-President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, and the former ruling party, Golkar, have said there is no legal basis to support advancing a session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for a possible impeachment move against the President.

Political tensions have been rising in Indonesia after Mr. Wahid was censured by the House of Representatives (DPR) last week. The Vice-President's party, Golkar and the military (TNI) faction joined hands with the Islamist opposition to censure the President for his alleged dealings in two corruption scandals. The President's supporters, belonging to the Nadhlatul Ulama, have gone on the rampage in eastern Java, torching the headquarters of Golkar in the city of Surabaya on Wednesday.

It is, indeed, ironical that, for a country which was dominated by corruption and cronyism during the 32-year-rule of Gen. Suharto, the first-elected President of Indonesia in 40 years - Mr. Wahid - is on the mat for ``corruption''. While corruption cannot be condoned, especially at the highest levels, the focus in Indonesia has quickly shifted from the corruption of the Suharto era to the two scandals involving Mr. Wahid.

With the Indonesian Supreme Court ``freeing'' Gen. Suharto from house arrest and saying that he should be brought to trial when he is ``fit'', it is clear that the former General is unlikely to face the courts again. He had been acquitted earlier in a minor case of embezzlement last year. The former dictator's son, Mr. Tommy Suharto, is a fugitive from justice - the ``short'' arm of the law has not been able to locate him anywhere. His continued evasion of justice is a signal that the law enforcement efforts have solid links to the past regime.

In the current political scenario, it would appear that with the two major political parties deciding to back-off from an immediate confrontation with Mr. Wahid, the President has some time to ponder his future. It is, however, clear that the Vice- President, who will be President if Mr. Wahid is forced to resign anytime in the future, has made her first move by backing the findings of a parliamentary committee into the two corruption scandals involving Mr. Wahid. She has, however, stopped short of supporting any moves for convening an early session of the MPR to consider impeaching Mr. Wahid.

``Our faction will not support an expedited special session because it goes against the Constitution,'' Mr. Heri Achmadi, PDI-P secretary, was quoted as saying. He added that all 153 members of the faction had been barred from signing a petition calling for the President's resignation.

In turn, the Golkar chairman, Mr. Akbar Tandjung, said: ``The Golkar faction has decided to follow up the issuance of the first memorandum of censure and see if the President improves the way he runs the Government. And our legislators have been ordered to comply with the party's ruling on how to exercise legislative rights.'' ``Our faction will be patient and wait for corrections to be made by the President within the next three months. If no improvement is made, we will call for the issuance of the second memorandum of censure,'' he added.

For the record, Lt. Gen. Agus Wijoyo, told the press in Jakarta: ``With regard to the institution of the presidency, our (TNI) stance is one of obedience and loyalty to the legitimately and constitutionally elected President.'' ``The TNI is of the opinion that other possibilities remain open and (the censure) should not automatically and necessarily be followed by a special session (to impeach Mr. Wahid),'' the Army chief added.

In 1999, when Mr. Wahid was elected President, it was evident that he was a compromise candidate. Today, in 2001, the other, bigger players in Parliament are making their moves against the President, whose main body of support remains his religious supporters.

It is clear that the President's future is in the hands of the PDI-P and Ms. Megawati personally. There is no love lost between Golkar and Mr. Wahid, despite the fact that Golkar claims to have snapped links with the Suharto family.

However, even if Ms. Megawati becomes President, she, too, can face the same forces within Parliament. The institutional basis to Indonesian democracy remains weak and that is a factor all leaders will have to contend with.

Mr. Wahid, meanwhile, has repeatedly ruled out the possibility of his resignation. In a reference to the recent torching of the Golkar office in Surabaya, the President remarked: ``All of this actually (serves as) a bitter lesson for all of us, and it should not continue. But this is the price to pay for the continuing process of democracy.''

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : At stake - freedom