Wahid voted out of office

24th July, 2001

JAKARTA - Nine out of the eleven factions in the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Monday approved the draft decrees for the dismissal of President Abdurrahman Wahid and the appointment of Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri as Indonesia's new leader.

The National Defense Forces (TNI)/Police faction - 38 members - said that it accepted the draft decrees and was ready to secure the political decision of the MPR, the country's highest legislative body. The final tallys saw 599 of the 601 members vote to have Wahid removed.

However, Wahid, 21 months into a term that is due to end in 2004, is defying the MPR, saying that he will remain in the presidential palace. He has been accused of mismanaging the country's affairs during his rule.

The stock mark closed up 9.321 points, or 2 percent with the JSX Composite Index ending at 470.229, down from its morning high of 478.056. The currency climbed to a four-month high to trade at 10,100 to the US dollar - its highest level since March 16.

The nationally televised open vote in the MPR came just hours after Wahid had declared a state of emergency in an attempt to suspend parliament and thwart the impeachment hearings. But the Supreme Court rejected the declaration as illegal.

The nine factions are Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Golkar, Reform, People's Sovereignty, the United Development faction, Crescent and Star faction, Unity and Nationality faction, Interest faction, and the TNI/Polri faction. Two other factions, Wahid's National Awakening faction (PKB) and the Democracy and Love the Nation faction (FPDKB) walked out from the session chaired by Amien Rais.

"The MPR states that Abdurrahman Wahid is removed from the presidency before his term ends because he clearly violated the state guidelines ... and therefore Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri is appointed as the president of the republic of Indonesia," Rais said. She was sworn in moments later and pledged to "do her best for the country".

"In the name of God, I swear to fulfill my duties as the president of the Republic of Indonesia as well and as justly as possible," she said as a copy of the Koran was held over her head. A new vice president has yet to be named.

Wahid has repeatedly warned that the giant country could break apart if the MPR removed him from office. He has strong support in East Java, which has seen sporadic violence in recent months. There have been reports of some small demonstrations there, as well as in the capital.

Wahid has been fighting for his political life since last year, but he has failed to obtain the vital backing of the police and military. Moves to oust him began when he was linked to two corruption scandals, although police and prosecutors cleared him of any wrongdoing.

Announcing the state of emergency on television on Monday, Wahid said that he intended to establish a body to oversee new elections within a year, and he suspended the Golkar party. Golkar formerly provided the political power base of former president Suharto and become a major force in the campaign to oust Wahid.

Megawati leads Indonesia's largest political party, and is the daughter of the country's founding leader and former president, Sukarno, who was himself impeached by parliament amid political turmoil in 1966.

(Asia Times Online/Asia Pulse)

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