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Wahid Offers Deputy Power Sharing Deal
JAKARTA, May 25 (News Agencies) - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid on Friday offered his deputy Megawati Sukarnoputri a power-sharing deal as part of a last-ditch fresh bid to stave off impeachment, as the military warned of chaos if the deal was refused
But a government minister said Megawati had asked for time to consider the offer, made at an emergency cabinet meeting five days before the house was decide whether to call an impeachment session of the national assembly.
"The president offered handing authorities to Megawati, but the vice president said she wanted to study it [the offer] first," Cooperatives Minister Zarkasih Nur told journalists after the meeting.
Officials from her party later insisted that she had rejected the proposal.
But her spokesman Bambang Kesowo told a press conference she had made no decision, indicating the impasse could drag on through the weekend.
Kesowo, who attended the cabinet meeting, also told journalists that Wahid had mentioned the possibility of declaring a state of emergency at midnight Friday, which would allow him to dissolve parliament.
"If by midnight of May 25th, there are still no signs from the DPR [lower house] that they will stop their drive for a special session ... he [Wahid said he] will issue a state of emergency and speed up general elections," Kesowo said.
Senior security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, briefing journalists on behalf of the cabinet, made no mention of the possibility of a state of emergency, which has been openly opposed by the military in the past week.
Wahid himself, speaking after the cabinet meeting also said there would be "no such thing" as a midnight declaration of emergency.
"Mrs. Megawati was not ready to consider the ideas [power sharing] as put forward by the president," Kesowo told a press conference, as palace sources said Wahid was becoming frustrated with Megawati's silence.
Megawati had been in the meeting for only 15 minutes before leaving alone without comment.
Wahid, who is fighting off efforts by parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against him, left 15 minutes later.
Wahid said earlier Friday he was ready to compromise, but ruled out handing full authority to Megawati.
"I have said all along I'm ready," Wahid said.
"[But] I have to set limits. [There will be] no transfer of authorities and I will determine the broad lines of government policy," Wahid added.
Share prices on the troubled Jakarta stock exchange soared 2.5% on the hint of a compromise, closing up 9.445 points at 390.124.
Megawati, the daughter of the country's founding president Sukarno and the leader of the largest party in parliament, stands to succeed Wahid should he be impeached or stand down.
The secretary general of Megawati's Indonesian Democracy Party for Struggle (PDIP), Pramono Anung, said earlier Friday the proposed power-sharing scheme would not halt moves by parliament to impeach Wahid.
"The problem is not about power sharing," Anung said. "It's about two other matters: he's violated his oath of office, and a parliamentary decree to eradicate corruption from the government."
Wahid has been censured twice this year by parliament for his alleged involvement in two financial scandals and incompetent leadership.
MPs are due to convene on May 30th to discuss Wahid's response to the second censure and are widely expected to call for the special session of the national assembly to impeach him.
The clinically blind Wahid has become increasingly isolated as Megawati and the military have refused to side with him in his battle against the hostile parliament.
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