Is Wahid seeking a political asylum or looking for an excuse?

Abdurrahman Wahid (61), former Indonesian president, is bound for the U.S.. Is he seeking for a political asylum or trying to find a legitimate excuse?

After he lost the presidency by the impeachment by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), he has remained at the presidential palace. Now he is said to leave for the U.S., whose motivations are being questioned. On July 25, a Wahid’s aide said, ``He still thinks that he is the president of Indonesia. Wahid said that even if he leaves for the U.S. on July 26, he would not voluntarily leave the presidential palace.``

This implies that he will leave the presidential palace only if the new president Megawati Sukarnoputri asks him to do so officially. If he leaves the palace voluntarily, this may bestow legitimacy to Megawati’s presidency. Instead, he seems to intend to give an impression that he was forced to step down by a sort of `coup’.

It is an extrapolation of what he said on July 23, saying that the impeachment voting itself was `against the Constitution`. In an interview with AP news, he claimed, ``Indonesia will go back to the period of the military government under Megawati administration virtually.``

One of his aides said, ``It will be the time of his return that `Free Human Rights Foundation` is ready to be established in Jakarta or after then.``, which implies that it may take quite a long time for him to come back from the U.S.``

However, some experts interpreted his remarks, saying that he is really seeking a political asylum, making an excuse to cure his illness.

Meanwhile, although Indonesian students and some citizen groups welcome Megawati’s presidency, they are also concerned about the potential revival of Suharto’s regime which had committed the military dictatorship in the past, whose future is uncertain.

On July 25, when the vice president election was held, about 2,000 students gathered around MPR parliament building, protesting that Akbar Tandjung, vice-president candidate and Golkar Party president, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, former minister under Suharto regime, are trying to reverse the history. In addition, other citizen groups are strongly against the old members who had wield their powers under Suharto’s regime and are trying to join Megawati administration, including former Joint Army Chief Wiranto. Other experts pointed out that Megawati’s husband, who has been close to the Golkar Party since early 1980’s, might exercise pressures on the investigations of the corruption charges against the Suharto family or cooperate with the military high-profiles.

However, most experts predict that it may not be easy for Megawati to cooperate with the remaining powers from Suharto regime because she remembers her father who had been confined in house for a long time after being kicked out by the Suharto’s party.

kkt@donga.com