Parties move to back Wahid censure

Legislators from both Golkar and PDI-P are backing the new censure

In this story: Marching on parliament Megawati absent Unfulfilled promises RELATED STORIES, SITES

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia's three largest political parties have announced that they are backing calls for a second censure motion against President Abdurrahman Wahid.

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The move is expected to pave the way for impeachment proceedings against the president that would, if successful, see his removal from office.

Observers say that if the vote goes against the president, thousands of Wahid supporters could go on the rampage on the streets of the capital, Jakarta.

QUOTE "PDI-P has concluded that the president has really not paid full attention to the first censure" - Dwi Ria Latifa, PDI-P lawmaker

Anti-riot police have been placed on high alert and armored cars put on standby to evacuate lawmakers from the parliament building if trouble breaks out.

Announcing his intention to back the censure motion lawmaker Ibnu Munzir of the once all-powerful Golkar party said the decision had been made because Wahid had ignored parliament's earlier warning.

"After observing responses from the president… in the last three months, Golkar concluded the president hasn't paid attention to the first censure issued on February 1," he told fellow parliamentarians.

Golkar's endorsement of a censure motion came on the heels of a similar move by the party of Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P).

"PDI-P has concluded that the president has really not paid full attention to the first censure," lawmaker Dwi Ria Latifa said.

Under the constitution, the president has one month to respond to the censure motion.

If parliament is unhappy with his reply, it can ask the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, to start impeachment proceedings to remove him from office.

Opposition lawmakers who have been pushing for the second censure motion say Monday's vote will effectively be a vote of confidence in the Wahid presidency.

"When the Parliament issues the second censure, clinically, Wahid is dead in politics," said legislator Alvin Lie.

Marching on parliament

Most of Wahid's supporters are members of his Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization

Squads of Wahid's more extreme supporters have promised to die for his cause, and kill senior opposition figures if he is impeached.

Earlier, as lawmakers began their debate an estimated 10,000 pro-Wahid supporters began marching toward the parliament building some carrying sticks, and wearing military-style camouflage clothes.

"Pasaruan is prepared to shed blood for Gus Dur [Wahid's nickname]. Pasaruan is ready to die for Gus Dur," said one protester, a rice farmer from Wahid's home province of East Java.

Another supporter carried a banner saying: "If Gus Dur resigns, Indonesia will be destroyed."

However, the marchers came to a halt before reaching the parliament and after briefly congregating at the national monument appeared to be dispersing peacefully.

On Sunday at a prayer rally in the capital organized by the 40-million-strong Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Muslim organization Wahid spoke to supporters calling for calm.

He also publicly condemned the use of violence, in response to threats from anti-Wahid groups that they would attack his supporters.

Megawati absent

However, one important figure was not among the tens of thousands that showed up to support Wahid at Sunday's rally.

Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri excused herself from the rally, as well as recent Cabinet meetings saying she has a bad cold.

She was also absent when Wahid's spokesman delivered a nationwide address on the president's behalf on Friday.

While Wahid has continued to insist he has the backing of his vice president, many of her party members have been leading the charge against the president.

Megawati's party represents the biggest political block in parliament.

Unfulfilled promises

Wahid's Sunday prayer rally drew about 30,000 supporters

Indonesia's first freely elected president came to power just 18 months ago.

Since then, Wahid has annoyed lawmakers by refusing to bend to a number of demands, and irritated them further by making dozens of seemingly extravagant overseas trips while domestic problems festered.

A fed-up parliament finally launched an investigation into his alleged involvement into two corruption scandals.

He has denied involvement in a scam in which a business associate siphoned off $4 million from the pension fund of the state food agency, Bulog.

He has also denied wrongdoing in a second scandal, in which he admits accepting a US 2 million dollar aid donation from the Sultan of Brunei.

Lawmakers say he should have declared the gift, and they say the money has not been accounted for.

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