Megawati snub to new Wahid ministers

Wahid is growing increasingly desperate to hold on to power

By staff and wire reports

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid has sworn in a new chief security minister following his surprise cabinet reshuffle.

Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri did not attend the ceremony, a move observers say underscores her growing rift with the embattled president.

On Friday Wahid suddenly sacked six ministers in what many see as an attempt to retain his tenuous grip on power as impeachment looms.

Officials had earlier said all six new ministers would be sworn in at Saturday's ceremony and it is unclear why the rest were not included.

Megawati, Wahid's deputy and his chief political rival, was not consulted over the reshuffle, which has elicited little but scorn from opposition politicians and the Indonesian media.

However, before the swearing in ceremony the newly appointed security chief, retired general Agum Gumelar told reporters Megawati had given her blessing to his appointment.

Overall four ministers were sacked, two changed positions and a cabinet secretary was promoted to minister in the surprise shake-up.

CNN's Atika Schubert, who is in Jakarta, says that while no official explanation was given for the reshuffle, the cabinet will now become a more Wahid-Megawati cabinet than it had been before.

She says that by replacing Chief Security Minister Bambang Yudhoyono with Communications Minister Agum Gumelar, Wahid also gets rid of an opponent of his desire to declare a state of civil emergency.

Megawati has said little about the growing crisis since Wahid offered her more power last week as a way to stave off impeachment.

Aides have said she will reject that offer and is unhappy with Wahid's latest move.

Growing crisis

VIDEO CNN's Atika Shubert reports from Indonesia Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Observers say the reshuffle is likely to deepen Indonesia's political crisis as Wahid becomes increasingly desperate to fight off his forced removal from office.

Earlier this week opposition lawmakers voted to call a special session of the National Assembly to debate impeachment charges against him.

Wahid has refused to step down as Indonesia's first democratically elected president and has warned that his impeachment would plunge the world's second largest democracy into chaos.

He has warned that at least six provinces where he has support could erupt in violence if he is impeached, leading to the disintegration of Indonesia.

Attempts to impeach Wahid have sparked riots in East Java and mass demonstrations in Jakarta.

Fraud charges

Megawati's party members are determined to impeach Wahid

Among the other ministers caught up in the shuffle are Attorney General Marzuki Darusman, who was replaced with the Justice Minister Baharuddin Lopa.

Darusman had investigated and, earlier this week, dismissed two allegations of fraud against the president.

Marsillan Simantjuntak, who was cabinet secretary, was appointed the justice minister and Budi Muliwan, who was outside the cabinet, was named cabinet secretary.

Yudhoyono, the sacked chief security minister, said the president told him he was being fired to improve relations between the president and vice president.

Wahid had been attempting for weeks to win over Megawati's PDIP party and thereby defuse efforts to impeach him. Up to now, Megawati's party has refused all offers.

The security minister is considered Indonesia's first minister -- the executive who effectively runs the government apparatus.

Yudhoyono, who said he was "still loyal" to the president, had repeatedly urged Wahid not to declare a state of emergency, which would allow him to disband parliament and derail moves to impeach him

Earlier Friday Wahid was quoted as giving legislators a week to call off moves to impeach him over his alleged involvement in two multi-million dollar scandals.

"I will give them until Friday. After that we will see what happens," Wahid said after weekly prayers at a Jakarta mosque.

"The government is working hard to handle the security problem so that the political situation can be stabilized," he said.

He described attacks on him by parliament as "a clear and dirty way to kill democracy."