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Back to Home Page National News February 20, 2001
Muladi urged to notify House on his exit plan
JAKARTA (JP): House Speaker Akbar Tandjung on Monday urged former
justice minister Muladi to submit an official notification to the
legislative body if he was serious about pulling out of his
controversial candidacy for the top post in the Supreme Court.
"Muladi should officially notify the House which has nominated him
along with Bagir Manan if he has personally decided to withdraw his
candidacy. It's his responsibility to do so," Akbar said.
Akbar said he met Muladi just a few days ago, but the latter said
nothing firm about withdrawing his candidacy.
"He hinted that there should be a solution to his controversial
candidacy and it would be better for the House to drop his
nomination," he said.
Muladi has reportedly withdrawn his nomination in frustration of the
uncertainty surrounding the nomination which has been suspended for
several months.
President Abdurrahman Wahid has declined to appoint either Muladi or
constitutional law expert Bagir Manan as chief justice. Both were
nominated after gaining backing from a majority of the House.
One of the reasons the President gave for his refusal to appoint
either of them was due to their past links with the New Order regime.
Muladi was minister during both former President Soeharto and B.J.
Habibie's tenure, while Bagir held a senior government post during the
Soeharto years.
The President has indicated several times that he would prefer Justice
Benyamin Mangkudilaga to be appointed chief justice.
Ferry Mursidan Baldan, deputy chairman of the House's commission which
screened chief justice candidates, said he could understand Muladi's
frustration because of certain sides' "political slaughter" of his
nomination.
"Muladi has the right to withdraw his nomination after learning that
he is a victim of certain sides' political slaughtering. And it's
better for him to officially notify the House's leadership if he
decides to resign from his nomination," he said.
Syamsul Muarif, chairman of the Golkar Party faction at the House,
described Muladi's move as a moral decision, saying he would have
taken the same step too, if he were Muladi.
"Muladi will win public empathy with his decision because he is
showing the public that he is not overambitious of the position," he
said.
Jacob Tobing, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan) faction, concurred and said his faction is likely
accept the outcome if the President appoints Bagir as a new chief
justice.
"Compared to Muladi, Bagir is much better because he was not a 'yes
man' official when he was director general at the Ministry of Justice
during Soeharto's tenure," he said.
Jacob hinted that the House should nominate other candidates if Bagir
decides to follow Muladi in withdrawing his nomination.
Meanwhile, both Jacob and Syamsul dismissed the President's statement
that the rift among the political elite would subside in April, saying
the President was facing a serious leadership crisis.
Both were of the same opinion that the political conflict would only
end if the President stepped down voluntarily and hand over power to
Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri.
"The political situation will remain unstable as long as Gus Dur goes
ahead in the present manner in which he is leading the nation and
running the government," said Jacob.
Syamsul said the President has yet to make alterations to the
government following his censure by the House on Feb. 1.
"Our faction will propose the issuance of a second memorandum for the
President because so far, the President has made no changes to his
government," he said.(dja/rms)