Wahid's impeachment hearing begins

4:30 pm

JAKARTA - Indonesia's top assembly has began an impeachment hearing expected to topple the country's first democratically-elected leader, but President Abdurrahman Wahid warned his followers might hit the streets.

The supreme People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) today started meeting at the parliament complex inside a ring of heavy security, guarded by hundreds of police, razor wire and at least a dozen armoured personnel carriers.

Moments before it opened, Wahid dismissed the hearing, expected to last for several days, as illegal and said he would not comply with its summons to account for his turbulent rule.

In a nationally-televised speech from the heavily-guarded and barricaded presidential palace, he appealed to his millions of followers not to resort to violence, but warned he could not control them.

"I can assure you that I've been saying to the crowd everywhere...'please don't come to Jakarta - I'm against violence'," said Wahid, appearing calm and undisturbed and wearing a Muslim peci cap embroidered with his nickname Gus Dur.

"But don't blame me if the crowd takes care of everything by themselves."

The MPR is widely expected to dump the ailing Muslim leader 21 turbulent months into his five-year term and replace him with his popular deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's founding president.

The political showdown has stoked fears violence may erupt around the battered nation. The world's fourth most populous country has never had a peaceful transition of power.

Wahid repeated his threat to declare a state of emergency, giving himself widespread powers and allowing him to dissolve the assembly and the parliament and call an early election.

And he left open the possibility of calling an emergency before his self-imposed deadline of July 31.

"I have many options and I will implement those options if necessary," he said.

The capital Jakarta was calm, with shops and schools opening as normal. There was no sign of the thousands of Wahid supporters who have flooded the capital in the past.

The MPR session, originally scheduled for August 1, was debating when to demand Wahid appear to account for his leadership.

Assembly leader Amien Rais, a former Wahid ally but now leading the push for his ouster, said on Friday the president would be ordered to appear on Monday.

He has not said what would happen if Wahid refuses.

Wahid's party, which holds less than 10 percent of the MPR's 700 seats, boycotted today's hearing.

It is unclear if Wahid has enough support in the police or the army to carry out his threat to declare an emergency.

Key generals have publicly opposed such a move, while legislators have said they would ignore it.

In a bid to appease the MPR and head off a showdown, Wahid on Friday backed down from a threat to declare a state of emergency on that day to allow more time for a compromise.

But leading politicians, including Rais, have already said it is too late to thrash out a peace deal.

- REUTERS

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