Talk of coup hogwash, says Wahid

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, FEB. 2. The Indonesian President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, has dismissed as ``hogwash'' any talk that he fears a coup d'etat because of his demand for the resignation of Gen. Wiranto, the senior Minister for Politics and Security Affairs. At a Cabinet meeting in Jakarta today, Gen. Wiranto, however, refused to quit.

The Cabinet meeting was presided over by the Vice- President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, as Mr. Wahid is in London as part of a two-week overseas tour. Gen. Wiranto, a serving military officer, continues to be part of the Indonesian military establishment (TNI) as the Presidential decree stripping him of his army rank takes effect only on March 31.

Although the latest confrontation between Mr. Wahid and Gen. Wiranto has acquired shades of a power struggle, neither has gone beyond political brinkmanship to openly challenge the other. Mr. Wahid merely suggested that it would be ``better'' for both Gen. Wiranto and the Indonesian polity if the General quit the Cabinet immediately without waiting for a more drastic action. The Indonesian Foreign Minister, Mr. Alwi Shihab, who is accompanying Mr. Wahid, clarified the President's remarks, saying that Gen. Wiranto ``is not being dismissed'' and Mr. Wahid ``is confident that there will be no coup'' over the latest crisis regarding the findings by a human rights commission against the Minister.

Mr. Wahid told journalists in London that there was ``no change'' in his policy that a Minister implicated in an wrongdoing should simply pack up and leave the Cabinet under the new democratic norms. Mr. Wahid said, ``When I get back home, I would like Gen. Wiranto to resign. But if he resigns now, it is better for him.'' Mr. Wahid did not, however, say what his course of action would be if Gen. Wiranto persisted with his refusal to quit on the ground that he had not been indicted or implicated in any normative legal sense. In Gen. Wiranto's view, he should be presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a due process of law. The national human rights commission said his ``failure'' to ensure security in East Timor following its vote for independence had ``directly or indirectly'' caused a situation in which ``crimes against humanity'' occurred in that territory in August- September last year.

Though Mr. Wahid quipped, ``Who would not want Gen. Wiranto to resign instantly'' he, however, left it to the General to step down ``anytime'' soon. If Gen. Wiranto quit ``as early as possible, it will simplify matters for us, '' Mr. Wahid said.

He, however, emphasised that he still respected Gen. Wiranto and that an early resignation might save him much ``harassment.'' Above all, ``law is law'' and ``if (the) law says he is guilty, then he has to resign,'' Mr. Wahid added.

The Indonesian President said there was ``no such thing as hatred or things like that'' between him and Gen. Wiranto. Annotating Mr. Wahid's comments, the Foreign Minister explained that the President wanted Gen. Wiranto to ``put himself in a position to be inactive (as Senior Minister) before he is put on trial.''

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Section  : International
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