Wahid's position vulnerable

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, FEB. 1. Abandoned by his key ally, the Vice-President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, the Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, was isolated in the House of Representatives (DPR) today.

By an overwhelming 393-4 vote, the 500-strong House voted in Jakarta to accept the findings of a Parliamentary committee on two corruption scandals allegedly involving the President. According to the report, Mr. Wahid ``could be suspected of playing a role'' in a $3.9 billion embezzlement scandal involving the State logistics agency, Bulog, and that there were ``inconsistencies'' in his explanations for a $2 million gift from the Sultan of Brunei.

With Ms. Megawati's party and Golkar, the erstwhile ruling party still linked to the Suharto family, joining hands, Mr. Wahid had little chance of escaping the wrath of Parliament today. The next steps could be crucial for Mr. Wahid and Indonesia. Unlike a few months ago, Parliament may not rest with simply presenting a memorandum to the President.

Under the Indonesian Constitution, a memorandum can be presented to the President, who must respond to it within three months. If he does not respond, the process can then be repeated and, finally, a session of the upper House or MPR convened to ``impeach'' the President.

While it is still early days in Indonesia, the crucial aspect of today's developments is that Ms. Megawati, herself an aspirant for the top job, has decided to strike out on her own. It remains to be watched whether her party will go all the way in censuring the President and then presenting him with a memorandum. On a previous occasion, Mr. Wahid got away with an apology, it may not be so easy this time around. Ironically for Indonesia, the focus is no longer on the Suhartos and their corruption. It has now shifted to Mr. Wahid and his wrongdoings.

The inability of the Wahid Government to bring to justice Mr. Tommy Suharto, fugitive son of Gen. Suharto, and nab those behind a series of sensational crimes, has undermined the position of the President.

A sense of drift, punctuated by a series of well- planned and pinpointed attacks, has marked the 15 months of the Wahid Government.

While the President himself has won wide support for his moderate policies, he has been unable to take forward the reform agenda. This has dissatisfied the pro-democracy sections and also provided an opportunity for those linked to the Suharto regime to rear their head again.

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Section  : International
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