Dear Readers.... Saya forward, copy interview GD - Newsweek, yang termuat di the strait times 05/21/01. Ada banyak hal yang janggal di interview tsb, silahkan menilai .... ! Q&A Indonesia's political elite believe his presidency is nearing an end but in an interview with Newsweek recently, Mr Abdurrahman Wahid makes it clear that he will not be going quietly. Q: How do you see the political crisis unfolding? A: We are in the last phase of struggle between those who want a parliamentary system of government and those like myself who want a presidential system. Parliament would like to have all the power. Q: People say you must strike a compromise with the Vice-President to head off a showdown with parliament. Are you willing to cede a lot of power to her? A: I did that when I became president. I keep only the general outline to government policies and the power of appointment. I do not want to give that to someone else. Q: Reportedly, since you refuse to relinquish the power of appointment, Megawati will not make a deal with you. A: May I repeat: I have given everything to her except the right to appoint and I will not agree on anything else. Q: But how can she run the country unless she has the power to appoint? A: I will not give it to anyone because I want to see a clean government and the rule of the law. There is no guarantee that someone else will uphold the rule of the law. Q: Isn't Megawati committed to this? A: There is no guarantee. Q: What do you think of Megawati? A: Well, my type of presidency would not be hers. Q: Would Megawati be a good president? A: Don't ask me that... her actions are not what I would have liked. There are differences between us but she's competent. Q: Why have you insulted her in public so many times? A: I have never insulted her. Q: What do you think of her capabilities? A: She's great at certain things - taking stock of a situation. She asks ministers the right questions. But government requires more than that. It requires judgment as to whether to act now or later. Second, she never said she would cling to the rule of law. So, I have to A: I'm not afraid of that. The economy is going well except the value of the currency and the price of the stock market. The rest of the country is OK. Look at the streets of Jakarta and outside. The ordinary people are happy. Q: Of what are you most proud? A: I'm proud of maintaining the territorial integrity of Indonesia and beginning the process of democratisation... I announced several days ago that those who insult the President will be arrested by the police and taken to court. Q: Why is that democratic? A: It's the law. If you say the right things, OK. But if you utter slander, you will be detained. For me, this is democracy. People who tear the picture of the president from the wall or insult him are breaking the law. Q: But that's not democratic. A: We shall see. Let the Supreme Court decide on this. Q: If you were impeached and the Vice-President came to power, do you think that Muslim groups such as the large organisation you head up, NU, would rally in protest? A: Not only NU, but also PDI-P (Megawati's party) and Golkar (the party created by Suharto). Many people are angry at the politicians. Q: You say you have a silent majority behind you like Nixon. But Nixon resigned. A: Because they found that Nixon was wrong in the Watergate case. Q: Is Vice-President Megawati on your side? A: Oh yes. The Vice-President is silent. In your country, this is seen as a sign of weakness. In our country, it is a virtue. Q: Many people close to the Vice-President believe you must go. A: Not all her people. Only 16 parliamentarians are against me. Q: Don't you have to disband parliament to keep it from forcing you out? A: I know the parliament will not do that to me. I know it. /* -------------------------------- END */ __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/
