Too late for compromise: Rais

JAKARTA - The head of Indonesia's top legislature said yesterday that it was too late for a political compromise to save embattled President Abdurrahman Wahid, increasing the likelihood of an imminent impeachment hearing.

Amien Rais predicted that the People's Consultative Assembly would launch an impeachment hearing today should Wahid carry out a threat to declare a state of emergency and call early elections if his foes do not back off.

"I don't think that any compromise still has a chance. It is too late right now," he said. The assembly, which elected Wahid president, is due to convene on August 1 to consider sacking Wahid over his chaotic 21-month rule.

However, Rais, an architect of Wahid's rise to power in October 1999, and other assembly leaders have said they will call an emergency session tonight if Wahid declares an emergency by his self-imposed 6 pm (11 pm NZT) deadline.

Should Wahid lose his job, his estranged deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri, takes over to serve out his term to 2004.

Megawati leads the country's largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle, which is backing the impeachment hearings.

Rais, once a political enemy of Megawati, said the daughter of Indonesia's founding father, Sukarno, would "make a better president than Wahid."

"I met with her a couple of times and it seems to me that she is ready and now it seems too that she becomes much wiser and much more realistic," Rais said.

Wahid on Wednesday stood by his threat to declare a state of emergency if his enemies did not back down, but said it would not take effect until July 31.

Rais said the assembly would still hold a special session today if Wahid carried out his threat, even if there was a delay in implementing an emergency.

Even if Wahid carries out his threat, he is unlikely to have enough support in the military, the police and the civil service to make it stick. Key Army and police generals have already rejected any state of emergency.

- REUTERS

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