Parliament censures Wahid on graft charges

Parliament censures Wahid on graft charges
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

JAKARTA, FEB 2: Indonesia's parliament today censured President Abdurrahman Wahid over two graft scandals, but it was unclear whether the move would lead to his impeachment or leave him in power as a politcal cripple.

The decision to censure the country's first democratically-elected president was taken by acclamation in a plenary session of the 500-seat People's Representative Council (DPR) after a walkout of Wahid's supporters.

``The DPR hereby decides to issue a memorandum to reprimand Abdurrahman Wahid in that he has indeed violated the state guidelines, namely the 1945 Constitution article on professional oaths, and an MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) decree of good governance," it said.

The censure could lead to Wahid's impeachment after a four-month interval, MPs emerging from the session said. But they disagreed on whether it meant only as a warning that would enable Wahid to serve out the rest of his five-year term which ends in 2004.

``This is the beginning of the impeachment process," DPR chairman Akbar Tanjung told reporters after the motion was moved.

He was refering to the three-month period the house would give Wahid to mend his ways, after which it could issue a further warning if he did not, and then after one month convene the Upper House to launch impeachment proceedings.

``Tonight,'' Tanjung replied when asked when the three month period would begin.

Dimiyati Hartono of the Indonesian Democracy Party for Struggle (PDIP), headed by Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, called the censure a warning.