Support Is Fast Eroding for Indonesia’s Wahid

Censured by parliament and increasingly isolated, Indonesia’s erratic president, Abdurrahman Wahid, is under mounting pressure to resign or face impeachment.

In a sign of his deteriorating ability to govern, Wahid has lost the support of nearly 80% of parliament, many of whose members helped select him as president just 15 months ago.

With thousands of protesters taking to the streets almost daily, calls for the president’s resignation have multiplied. Even a member of his own Cabinet joined the chorus of voices over the weekend urging him to step down.

Some predict that the Muslim cleric--leader of the world’s fourth-most-populous nation--could be forced from office in a matter of months or even weeks.

Taking the first step toward impeachment, the parliament censured the president Thursday for his alleged role in a pair of multimillion-dollar scandals.

Wahid, known popularly by the nickname Gus Dur, denies wrongdoing and insists that he will not quit before his term ends in 2004. “I love this country so much,” he said Sunday. “It is impossible for me to leave this country when it is in trouble.”

Thousands of Wahid backers blocked streets and rallied in support of the president Sunday in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city. Wahid has substantial backing there from the 30-million-member Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim group, which he once headed.

While even his own spokesman has said that Wahid is not competent to be president, he has continued to draw support from those who see him as a symbol of democratic change in a country long plagued by military dictatorship.

But Wahid dismayed some of his backers by proposing in meetings over the past week that he suppress the opposition by dissolving parliament and declaring a state of emergency.

Wahid’s top generals rebuffed his request--demonstrating once again the president’s inability to control his own government.

Paradoxically, the president’s proposal put the military--long criticized for its record of human rights abuses--in the role of protector of the constitution.

“His political legitimacy is gone,” said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, who was a top aide to former President B. J. Habibie. “There is no trust any longer. I would suggest Gus Dur put the national interest first. It is better for him to step down than to push Indonesia into another round of crisis.”

Attempting to show that the government is functioning, Wahid convened a meeting of his Cabinet on Saturday. A palace spokesman portrayed the session as one of unity, noting that it was chaired as usual by Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, even though her faction in parliament voted against Wahid.

However, Minister of Justice Yusril Ihza Mahendra said afterward that the meeting was “full of debate” and that he had advised the president to quit. “I told him that if I were in his position, I would prefer to resign,” the Jakarta Post quoted him as saying.

Indonesia, the largest Muslim nation in the world, was ruled for more than 30 years by President Suharto, a brutal military dictator blamed for the deaths of about 500,000 people.

Wahid became the nation’s first president in decades to be elected by democratic process when he was chosen in October 1999 by the People’s Consultative Assembly, a 700-member electoral body that includes the 500 members of parliament. A surprise compromise candidate, Wahid edged out Megawati, then made her his vice president.

Since then, Wahid and the nation have been plagued by constant turmoil, including bloody separatist movements in the far-flung provinces of Aceh and Irian Jaya and a religious war in the Moluccas that together have killed tens of thousands of people. On Sunday, for example, authorities in Irian Jaya said four soldiers and a separatist rebel were killed in fighting.

Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, and other cities have been struck by a series of bombings, including a well-coordinated Christmas Eve attack on churches that killed 19.

Wahid says the bloodshed has been caused by Suharto supporters, including former generals and the former dictator’s son Hutomo Mandala Putra, better known as Tommy, who are trying to destabilize his government and return to power.

Wahid’s presidency has been further undermined by his inability to jail Suharto or his cronies on accusations that they stole billions of dollars while in power. Tommy Suharto, convicted in September of stealing $11 million from the government, has eluded all attempts to arrest him.

Compared with the Suharto era, Wahid’s financial scandals barely rate a footnote. But in the hands of an antagonistic parliament, they could prove to be his undoing.

A parliamentary report issued last week accused the president of involvement in the theft of $4.1 million from a government agency by individuals who claimed to be acting on his behalf, including his masseur. The masseur has been arrested.

The parliamentary findings also charged that the president did not properly report a $2-million gift from the sultan of Brunei that was intended as aid to residents of strife-torn Aceh.

There was no conclusive evidence in the report that Wahid personally profited from either deal.

The parliament voted 393 to 4 on Thursday to accept the findings, which will be turned over to the attorney general for further investigation and possible prosecution. Wahid’s own block of 43 deputies boycotted the vote.

After accepting the report, lawmakers also agreed by consensus to approve a declaration censuring the president. The president is required to respond within 90 days. If he does not provide a satisfactory response, parliament can pass another resolution censuring him again and giving him another 30 days. If he fails a second time, parliament can bring impeachment proceedings.

Wahid aides said he would submit a response to parliament quickly to avoid months of paralysis. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Wahid’s top security minister, said the president had already prepared political and legal responses.

“Parliament’s decision is nothing to worry about,” Yudhoyono said. “The government is functioning normally.”

But others are less certain about Wahid’s ability to ride out the storm and keep his job.

“It is impossible for Gus Dur to rule this country effectively,” said Andi Malarangeng, a former official in Wahid’s government. “There is no support from the parliament any longer. The people do not support him any longer, either. His credibility has declined. I don’t see how Gus Dur can survive.”