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Tuesday,
July 24, 2001, Chandigarh, India   |
Parliament
votes in Megawati, kicks out Wahid
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103 die in Pak
flash floods 17 drown
in Pak boat tragedy NEWS ANALYSIS |
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Maoists
kill 16 cops
Deal on
Kyoto pact Putin
given more time
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Parliament votes in Megawati, kicks out Wahid
Jakarta, July 23 A majority of legislators in the supreme People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) voted to sack Wahid and replace him with his estranged deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri — the blighted archipelago’s fourth leader in as many years. “The MPR states that Abdurrahman Wahid is removed from the presidency before his term ends because he clearly violated the state guidelines ... And therefore Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri is appointed as President of the republic of Indonesia,” its Speaker Amien Rais said. She was sworn in moments later, bowing to do her best for the country. “In the name of god, I swear to fulfil my duties as the president of the Republic of Indonesia as well and as justly as possible,” she said, as a copy of the Koran was held over her head. But the big question mark remained whether Wahid would go quietly or would have to be forced out kicking and screaming from the Presidential Palace. He made it clear earlier he would not go without a fight, suggesting no quick end to the political crisis which has consumed Indonesia for months and threatened its tentative steps towards democracy and economic recovery. But the Supreme Court ruled the state of emergency was illegal — as was Wahid’s attempt in the early hours today morning to disband the MPR hours before it was due to resume impeachment hearings. The desperate move was also rejected by the army, ministers and most of the MPR which 21 months ago had so enthusiastically voted Wahid into office. “The issuance of that presidential decree (state of emergency) is against the law,” said an official of the top assembly, reading a letter by the Supreme Court’s Chief Justice. The MPR had ignored Wahid’s emergency decree, resuming its impeachment hearings which were attended in the morning by Megawati, who also heads the country’s largest political party. Wahid, a frail and half-blind 60-year-old, refused to attend, holing up instead in the elegant Presidential Palace in central Jakarta, which was calm despite the unfolding political drama. “Yes, he’ll stay,” presidential spokesman Yahya Staquf told reporters when asked whether Wahid would stay on even if the assembly voted him out of office. There was no sign of unrest, either in Jakarta or in Wahid’s political heartland of East Java where Muslim leaders ordered his fanatical supporters not to protest. The only real sign of support for Wahid came from about 300 protesters, who on Monday rallied outside the Presidential Palace. Troops were mostly absent from the streets of the capital, though two columns of tanks and armoured personnel carriers trundled through Jakarta in the morning. Wahid has repeatedly called the MPR's attempts to dislodge him illegal, insisting he has widespread popular support. But he has failed to win over public opinion and has been deserted by all but his own small party. Even the leader of that party has now turned against him and is a top contender to be Vice-President under Megawati. The army and police, whose support was vital to the survival of Indonesia’s previous leaders, openly backed the impeachment hearing and to summon Wahid to answer allegations of corruption and incompetence. The impeachment move was triggered by two graft scandals, but has turned into a no-confidence motion on his erratic leadership. Megawati (54) is the daughter of Indonesia’s founding leader, Sukarno, is Indonesia’s fifth President since it gained independence after World War II. She will govern till parliamentary elections are held in 2004. The motion to dismiss Wahid and replace him with Megawati was passed 591-0. More than 100 pro-Wahid deputies boycotted the proceedings. The vote, ushering new leadership in the world’s fourth-most populous country, was taken after army generals and senior police officers rejected an emergency decree issued hours before by Wahid. He had ordered the immediate suspension of the assembly, Indonesia’s supreme legislative body. “The assembly herewith declares that Abdurrahman Wahid is dismissed as President before his term ends as he truly violated state guidelines,” said Assembly Chairman Amien Rais. Earlier, the head of Indonesia’s Supreme Court said that President Wahid did not possess the authority to freeze both Houses of Parliament, Antara news agency reported. Wahid had “no right” to freeze the House of Representatives (DPR) and the people’s consultative assembly (MPR), Supreme Court Chief Bagir Manan was quoted as saying on the private Metro TV station.
Reuters, AP, AFP |
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103 die in Pak
flash floods
Islamabad, July 23 Sixtytwo persons were killed and more than 100 injured when a flash flood washed away a small hillside village in Manshera district in North West Frontier Province, officials in the region said. Five more persons were killed in a nearby village. Officials in Buner district in the Swat valley said 14 members of one family were killed by lightning in Batwani village. Six persons were washed away in the nearby Chagharzai village and five others died in house collapses. In the capital Islamabad, three persons were killed and several injured by collapsing walls and electrocution during record rainfall of more than 620 mm. Eight persons died in the adjoining Rawalpindi city, where civil defence officials said several houses had collapsed. Reuters |
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17 drown in Pak boat tragedy Karachi, July 23 The bodies recovered were from mostly members of a family who were having a picnic on the boat, the police added. “Those drowned also include six children and three women,” relief worker Haji Sattar said.
AFP |
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NEWS ANALYSIS Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is trying to kill two birds with one stone——Kashmir. The birds are his political enemies at home and his international image as a spoiler of peace efforts in the context of his Kargil misadventure while the Lahore Declaration was in the process of being born. This impression one gathers after watching his marathon Press conference on Friday in Islamabad. By adopting a Kashmir-or-nothing approach in his dealings with India before he went to Agra, he had created a situation in which no agreement could be expected. Or, perhaps, he never wanted it. His unidirectional strategy deprived him of a joint communique or joint statement which could have helped him acquire a new image. He needed something to silence his political enemies, functioning under the banner of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD). The loss he suffered should have depressed him. But this has not happened. Rather he has got emboldened beyond anybody’s expectations. One could notice the expression on his face during his Friday’s encounter with the media. All this is obviously due to the unusual world media focus on him. Now someone from among his military advisers should suggest him to give serious thought to the reality of cross-border terrorism. His stubbornness may come in the way of finalising any joint declaration again when Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visits Pakistan in the coming months. He will have to find a way out of the terrorism cobweb he has created around himself if he wants India to initiate any discussion on Kashmir. Logic says this is not only in the interest of peace in the region but also necessary for his political survival. Will the ruling General review his understanding of the Kashmir crisis? Without being very optimistic, one can say that anything may happen between now and the expected visit of Mr Vajpayee, for whom he seems to have developed a special liking. In this context, much significance is being attached to the General’s answer to a question from a Pakistani journalist whether the UN resolution on Kashmir Pakistan had been referring to so often had become irrelevant since it did not find a mention during the Agra summit. The General’s reply showed a departure from the traditional Pakistani line—— that both countries had to soften their stand on the Kashmir question. “Let us agree to a solution. I will generate a consensus in Pakistan and ascertain the desire of Kashmiris.” The General is worried about adding a distinct feather to his cap as Z. A. Bhutto did in the form of the Shimla Agreement and exiled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the shape of the Lahore Declaration, though primarily because of the initiative taken by Mr Vajpayee. After capturing power in October, 1999, General Musharraf had declared Turkish leader Kamal Ataturk as his role model. Since this drew much flak from the religious leaders of his country, who specialise in the crowd-pulling job, he did not repeat anything on the subject. But his scheme of “devolution of power” indicates that he wants to emerge as another General Ayub Khan, who floated the idea of “basic democracy” and provided stability to Pakistan for some time. Though Ayub Khan became a victim of his doings, he still remains as the most admired ruler of Pakistan. General Ayub, however, became what he was by indulging in an intrigue in connivance with the bureaucracy. General Musharraf does not give the impression of trusting the bureaucracy. He wants to reach that stage by discrediting the political class. His anti-politician campaign, which began immediately after he took up the reins of power, may continue till he holds the promised elections next year with himself being a candidate to give political legitimacy to his position as President. He provided enough proof of his scheme of things at the Islamabad conference. The General asserted that his country’s political class had done little towards the resolution of the “Kashmir issue”. In his opinion there is not much in the Simla Accord and the Lahore Declaration to bring a new dawn in Kashmir because no politician in Pakistan “had the courage to take up the Kashmir issue with India”. He emphasised that only a military man like him could truly understand the meaning of peace. “There are misperceptions. The military is part of Pakistan (the ruling establishment) and understands the issue (Kashmir) more than the political people.” Pakistan’s principal political parties had added to his woes by predicting his disastrous performance at Agra. Whatever he did there, General Musharraf went back home without anything to show to the public. He is desperate to salvage his reputation. This is obvious in his remarks: “I have
returned from the summit empty-handed, but I am not disappointed because enormous goodwill has been created during the summit, and people must not see it as a football match.” He should match his words with deeds, even if out of desperation, if he is serious about helping the cause of peace. |
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Maoists kill 16 cops Kathmandu, July 23 Fifty policemen were in the police station and most were asleep when the guerrillas struck last night in Pandavsen, a village in the Bajura district, 600 km northwest of Kathmandu, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. The village is seven hours’ trek from the nearest town. More than 1,600 rebels, security personnel and civilians have been killed in the insurgency since the rebels, who model themselves after Peru’s Shining Path guerrillas, began their violent campaign in 1996. They claim to be fighting for Nepal’s poor and want to install a Communist government. It was the second rebel attack in less than two weeks. On July 12, they attacked a police station in Nuwa village in Rolpa district, 350 km west of Kathmandu, and took 70 policemen hostage. The latest rebel attack came as new Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba offered to hold talks with them. “The police fought for more than three hours with the rebels before suffering the casualties,” district police chief L.S. Ghimire said.
AP, Reuters |
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Deal on Kyoto pact Bonn, July 23 A single outstanding issue — how to enforce legally binding sanctions against violators of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol — had held up a deal. Details of the agreement would be released later, UN spokesman Michael Williams said. “I prefer an imperfect agreement that is living than an imperfect agreement that doesn’t exist,” chief EU negotiator Olivier Deleuze said. The breakthrough effectively isolates the USA which rejected the treaty in March. TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who holds in his hands the fate of the Kyoto global warming agreement, on Monday declined to comment on Tokyo’s stance.
Agencies |
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Putin given more time Rome, July 23 “I can understand why he wants time and I’m going to give him some time,” Bush told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. However, he said, “time is of the essence...if we can’t reach agreement we’re going to implement.” Bush’s national security adviser Condoleezza Rice will leave for Moscow this week. In Moscow on Monday, the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying his agreement with Bush to link missile defence systems to cuts in the nuclear arsenal was good progress rather than a breakthrough.
Reuters |
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