Indonesia's President Says He Will Go If Impeached
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, May 16 (IslamOnline) - Embattled and impeached-to-be President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia looks set to leave office by June, sources in Jakarta said on Tuesday.
Wahid's unexpected change of mind has been welcomed both by the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Some members of the Indonesian legislatures said they would rather prefer Wahid to resign than be forced to oust him through an impeachment vote in the MPR.
Wahid said he would leave office if he were impeached, thus paving the way for his own ouster, sources in Jakarta said.
Wahid, however, remains adamant. He said he would not retire from politics and would rather exact revenge against fate by campaigning for a re-election in 2004.
His party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), advised Wahid to call for fresh polls in Indonesia, saying that it was certain it could win a larger share of votes than its previous eight percent in 1999.
Wahid indicated that he was elected without even campaigning to be President. "I was forced to be President," he once said.
"This time I will campaign. It will make a difference," Wahid reportedly said this week, vowing to fight back the offense that the parliamentarians are going to do to him, he said.
On Tuesday he said, "If as the consequence of the Special Session, I get impeached, then it is all right. I am not afraid to face it. Why? Because it shows the supremacy of the MPR."
"Because I have been insulted before by many people, I am determined to campaign. And I will campaign continuously right after impeachment until the General Election starts," he said.
"This is a declaration from a citizen who is just about to be impeached," Wahid added.
