Indonesia's Wahid claims U.S. support

'The military are firmly behind me', says Wahid

By CNN's Yenni Kwok
in Hong Kong

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Embattled Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has claimed that Washington fully supports his government, the Bangkok Post reports.

"The people who would like to topple me have gone to the United States to meet President Bush, but they were rejected by the U.S. government," Wahid told the Bangkok Post during his one-day trip to Thailand.

"The U.S. government is supporting us . . . It believes that the democratization process should be defended and maintained."

Wahid has been under pressure to resign since being censured twice by parliament.

The first censure focused on his alleged roles in two financial scandals, while the second questioned his leadership and refusal to heed the first memorandum.

So far, he has denied any wrongdoing. He has until the end of May to respond to the second censure.

If the parliament is unsatisfied with his reply, they could ask the supreme legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly, to hold a special session and impeach the president.

Wahid also expresses his desire to visit the United States.

If arrangements could be made, he said, he would like to achieve two things: "First, to know the exact position of the U.S. administration and, second, to learn about U.S. congressmen's attitude towards Indonesia."

Commenting on President Wahid's claims, a U.S. government source said: "The United States supports a democratic process, but not one candidate or another.

"We are neutral, and we would accept the outcome as long as it is based on the constitution."

Public and military support

Wahid also claims that the people and the military are still supporting him. "People are still behind me," he said.

He also brushed aside speculation that the continuing crisis in parliament would allow the military to take over again.

"No, no, no . . . They are firmly behind me," Wahid said, adding the military was limiting its activities to military affairs.

In Indonesia, a leader of a Muslim youth organization said Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri had told him that efforts to hold an impeachment hearing against Wahid were unstoppable.

"The process of the special session cannot be stopped," Nadjamuddin Ramly, chairman of the Muhammadiyah organization's youth wing, quoted Megawati as saying after a meeting.

Foreign Minister Alwi Shihab, who is Wahid's close associate, expressed doubts that Megawati really supports the special session.

"Is that true that (she) said such thing? Sometimes people say Ibu Mega said something, but in reality it wasn't so," he told the reporters, as quoted by detik.com news website.

"Ibu" literally means "mother", and is used as an honorific for Indonesian women.

Pressure grows on Indonesia's Wahid
May 14, 2001

Indonesia Government
Bangkok Post

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