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"No Accountability Speech" During Special Session: Wahid
Just a day after the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) reached a deal on the main agenda to ask accountability from President Abdurrahman Wahid during the upcoming special session, Wahid said here Friday that he would not give an accountability speech during the session.
He said he would only do so after his presidency is over in 2004.
Speaking after Friday praying in a mosque at Cijantung District in East Jakarta, the Muslim cleric said: "I am sure the special session of the MPR would not ask an accountability (from me)."
On Thursday, the MPR has decided the main agenda of the session, namely asking accountability from the president following his alleged involvement in two graft scandals and allegations of violating the country's state guidelines and constitution.
Chairman of the Assembly Amien Rais insisted there would be only one main agenda during the special session, namely asking accountability from Wahid.
Wahid further said he would lobby some large political parties in the country to back his bid of not giving accountability speech in the upcoming session.
He said that he would accept the upcoming special session as a political reality under three conditions, such as no accountability speech, no discussion about relationship among executive, legislative and judicature bodies, and no Assembly decree on the government's evaluation.
He was confident that the Assembly would meet his request, saying, "I am confident that the MPR will follow ...as there have been statements (from legislators that there would be no accountability speech)," he was quoted by the Antara News Agency as saying.
"I am tasked to be a president based on the constitution to defend the national integrity, to create the people welfare. These are my orientations. Nothing else," he said.
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