Wahid rejects his way to impeachment

Wahid has accepted the probability of impeachment but says he'll run again

By CNN's Atika Shubert

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Unless Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has a surprise solution to the country's prolonged power struggle, he is quickly whittling down his options to just one: impeachment.

He has rejected all proposals of a power sharing agreement with his popular deputy and political rival Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, calling such an agreement unconstitutional.

He adamantly refuses to step down, insisting that the nation will disintegrate without him.

On Tuesday, for the first time in his long struggle with parliament, he accepted the probability of impeachment, in typically defiant fashion.

"If as a consequence there is a special session [of the National Assembly] and I am impeached, then go ahead. It doesn't matter. I am not afraid," he told members of an Indonesian military think-tank.

"If that happens, I will campaign for the presidency again in the next election.

'Campaign continuously'

"To be sure, from the moment I am impeached to the end of the next election, I will campaign continuously. This is a statement from a citizen who will be impeached."

Lawmakers appear to be taking the president at his word. Wahid has less than two weeks to address parliament's concerns, before lawmakers decide whether to initiate impeachment proceedings.

But faction leaders are starting early, meeting informally on Wednesday to consolidate opinion on impeachment proceedings.

That will be followed by a flurry of political party meetings where party leaders will decide their position on impeachment.

There is no definitive word yet, but all faction leaders -- including President Wahid's own party -- agree that the current government needs to be more effective.

Among the criticisms of the current government: the government's failure to establish rule of law, enforce national unity and revive a lagging economy.

Special session

Opposition lawmakers say that unless Wahid responds to last month's censure by parliament within two weeks, legislators will certainly vote for a special session of the National Assembly, the only forum that can impeach the president.

"That's the logic," said Heri Achmadi, a senior officer of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the largest party in parliament.

"The president has rejected the second censure, meaning that parliament will ask the National Assembly to hold a special session."

With all the political maneuvering, the one person Indonesians are anxious to hear from is Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Standing next in line to the presidency and controlling the largest party in parliament, Megawati is the key to any political solution, whether impeachment, resignation or compromise.

But while her party members in parliament have actively called for Wahid's ousting, Megawati has retained her enigmatic silence.