Wahid loses fight for power

Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in as President of Indonesia last night after lawmakers sacked Abdurrahman Wahid, ending his 21 tumultuous months of office.

The Parliament lost patience with Mr Wahid's erratic rule and his desperate attempt to declare an emergency to save his skin, voting unanimously to install Mrs Megawati, the 54-year-old daughter of Indonesia's founding father Dr Sukarno.

The vote was a crushing 591 to none, though more than 100 pro-Wahid deputies boycotted the proceedings in Indonesia's National Assembly (MPR).

The new president appealed to Indonesians to end their differences.

"I call on all parties to accept this democratic process with sincerity ... this is the voice of the people which we must uphold," she said, dressed in a traditional white blouse and a batik sarong.

"Let us build our country together ... let us erase all the fights among us which have only deepened the sorrow of the people."

The new leader of the world's most populous Islamic nation was sworn in with a copy of the Koran held over her head.

But a big question mark remained over whether Mr Wahid would go quietly or would have to be forced from the presidential palace.

He made it clear earlier he would not go without a fight, going as far as to warn of a Jihad or holy war.

His defiance suggested no quick end to the political crisis which has consumed Indonesia for months and threatened its tentative steps towards democracy and economic recovery.

An aide to Mr Wahid said the Muslim cleric was sleeping during the vote to oust him.

"However as the president has said in the past, he will stay," an aide said.

Mr Wahid's dismissal was sealed after the Supreme Court, in an unprecedented intervention, sent a ruling to parliament that declared his emergency measures illegal.



Prime Minister Helen Clark said the Government would work with the new Indonesian leader.

She hoped Mrs Megawati would hold a similar commitment to Mr Wahid in "rooting out corruption in the infrastructure of Indonesian society, military and bureaucracy."

Helen Clark said: "New Zealand urges all of those involved - the current and former president, their supporters, the political parties and the security forces - to continue to adhere to peaceful and constitutional processes in working through this change of leadership."

"Indonesia's fledgling democracy is facing a difficult test. We hope that, with the goodwill of all those involved, it will pass with flying colours."

Though Jakarta was settled yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade advised New Zealanders considering travelling to the capital to exercise caution.

Mr Wahid's downfall could be traced partly to his erratic, ineffectual leadership style.

All the country's main political parties supported starting impeachment proceedings against him last year over his alleged involvement in two corruption scandals.

But when the Attorney-General's office cleared him of guilt, the proceedings focussed on his contempt of their deliberations.

Yesterday's confrontation follows months of wrangling between the increasingly isolated Mr Wahid and the Parliament.

The assembly elected the ailing half-blind Mr Wahid, aged 60, over Megawati Sukarnoputri in October 1999.

At first the Muslim scholar enjoyed wide support amid hopes he would deliver economic and democratic reforms after years of corrupt dictatorship.

But relations with lawmakers quickly soured. They accused him of erratic policies and claimed he was too frail after a series of strokes.

He also failed to quell communal and separatist conflicts that have killed thousands.

Corruption flourished unabated, and moves to prosecute those guilty of graft, including former dictator Suharto, mostly came to nothing.

Mr Wahid was censured three times this year as a prelude to formal impeachment proceedings.

He also antagonised the military by sidelining several top generals accused of rights violations and graft.

Senior police commanders had been defying Mr Wahid for two months over his failed attempt to sack the national police chief, General Bimantoro.

Before his defeat last night, almost all Mr Wahid's cabinet had either privately or publicly abandoned their support for him.

They included top security minister Agum Gumlear, who pleaded with him on Sunday night not to declare the emergency measures.

Jakarta police chiefs ordered thousands of police deployed across the city to protect Parliament and ignore a warning from Mr Wahid to block the impeachment sitting.

"The police will support a Megawati presidency as the legitimate government,"said national police spokesman, Didi Widayadi.

The military also defied Mr Wahid's desperate efforts to cling to power by refusing to impose the state of emergency.

- AGENCIES

Feature: Indonesia

CIA World Factbook: Indonesia (with map)

Dept. of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Antara news agency

Indonesian Observer

The Jakarta Post

UN Transitional Administration in E Timor

East Timor Action Network