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Wahid Insists Indonesia Will Split If He Resigns
by Kazi Mahmood for IslamOnline
KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The embattled leader of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid, made a last ditch effort to remain in office when he said Friday that the country would break into pieces if he were to resign as president.
Saying that if he goes, Indonesia also goes, Wahid made it clear to CNN that the specter of disintegration would greet Indonesia if he were ousted, adding that five provinces indicated they would not remain in the republic without Wahid.
He added that his duty was to safeguard the territorial integrity of the nation. He cited the constitution of the republic as the binding contract he has with the country as president and said he will hang on as leader of the strife and riot torn nation in order to prevent the five provinces from proclaiming independence from Indonesia.
Observers in Jakarta, contacted by phone, said they see veiled threats in Wahid's statement of the country breaking into pieces. They told IslamOnline that it would not be a surprise if the islands of Java and Madura were to follow him in demanding independence from Indonesia.
"Wahid would thus remain president of a lesser Indonesia" one observer told IslamOnline.
The Parliament in Jakarta is currently working on proposals made by six major factions to issue a second censure motion against the ailing and half blind president. He is alleged to be involved in two graft scandals, which the president has denied.
In an effort to resolve the situation between parliament and the president, some parliamentarians and observers have proposed that Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri resign and pave the way for fresh general elections.
They said if she resigns, parliament would have to be dissolved since it would not nominate a replacement for Megawati. Her resignation, they added, would isolate Wahid further, though it might not force him to resign.
Fresh elections in Indonesia would have the impact of giving a new push to democracy in the country and force the parliament to decide on a new president and vice president, censuring Wahid in the process.
They believe Wahid's National Awakening Party (PKB) would not be able to gain enough votes this time around to even give the president an important role in parliament, nonetheless the country altogether.
Wahid's PKB won close to 10% of votes in the 1999 general elections that gave no clear winners. Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI-P) won 32% of the vote, while the Golkar party of former president Suharto garnered a surprising 27% of the vote.
The Golkar had been written off as finished in Indonesian politics and was not perceived as influential before the 1999 elections.
Hoping to win the favors of a majority of the parliament and the military, Wahid said Friday he would take care of his out of town supporters and told them not to flood into Jakarta.
The statement comes amidst warnings from the military that his supporters will be dealt with if they decided to go on a killing and destruction spree in the country.
Wahid has denied urging his supporters to defend his presidency and said he will look after them if they arrived in the capital to prevent them from committing crimes.
Wahid said this after the Friday prayers, adding that he had tried to stop thousands of his backers from flooding Jakarta in order to prevent clashes with anti-Wahid protesters.
He draws considerable support from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim based organization in Indonesia.
The NU has about 40 million members across the country, most living in rural areas. The NU is said to be ready to blindly follow orders from party leaders and Wahid. The NU also has its own suicide gangs and other armed groups to protect its leaders, sources say.
The second largest and oldest Muslim organization in Indonesia is the Muhamadiyah group, once headed by Amien Rais. The Muhamadiyah has a strong intellectual base with most living in cities and holding important positions in either government or private business.
The Muhamadiyah has a power base of some 25 million Muslims around the expanded archipelago.
Wahid is facing possible impeachment over graft allegations. The parliament is being pressed by Rais to oust Wahid, whom he had helped defeat Sukarnoputri in the 1999 presidential elections.
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