Wahid backs off over planned police chief

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, struggling to cling to power, yesterday backed off swearing in a new national police chief after the top legislature warned that going ahead would trigger an early impeachment hearing.

Officials said that in a ceremony at the presidential palace, Wahid instead installed Chairuddin Ismail as acting commander, essentially the job he already has after Wahid sacked former chief General Bimantoro.

Legislators, already expected to soon oust Wahid over his erratic 21-month rule, have been outraged that the Muslim cleric bypassed Parliament in sacking Bimantoro.

Bimantoro had expressed public opposition to Wahid's threats to declare a state of emergency, a drastic measure the President had been expected to announce yesterday to ward off his impeachment in the top legislature.

Parliament speaker Akbar Tandjung said he had telephoned Wahid yesterday, warning that formally installing Ismail could lead to a snap special impeachment session in the supreme People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

"If he persists [with the swearing-in], this will have a big political impact ... It may become the foundation for the MPR to speed up the special session," he said.

Other legislators have said declaring that a state of emergency would also lead to an early impeachment hearing, at present scheduled for August 1.

Wahid earlier yesterday stepped back from a self-imposed deadline for his foes to drop plans for impeachment from 11 pm (NZ time) yesterday to July 31, to allow time to reach a compromise.

He had threatened to declare a state of emergency, effective from the end of the month, and call early elections if his enemies continued efforts to impeach him.

- REUTERS

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