Chapter 9 - The Rise of Mega

Summary

The conflict between President Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) and the legislators resulted in his impeachment despite his attempts at various strategies to avoid such a fate. Both the President and the legislators claimed that they had acted according to the Indonesian Constitution. The Cabinet ministers and political parties had offered a last minute compromise, but it was rejected by Gus Dur. He was eventually ousted. The roles of the DPR (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, or People's Representative Council) and MPR (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat, or People's Consultative Assembly) give insight into the way Indonesia's system of government handled the unique and critical situation, including a parliamentary censure, a state of emergency, use of executive powers, different interpretations of the Constitution, and eventual impeachment proceedings.

The DPR Censure

Gus Dur's “crony Cabinet” had angered many political party leaders, especially those who did not have Cabinet positions. The DPR which was dominated by Gus Dur's opponents, continued to pursue the two scandals. This law-making body formed a Special Committee, known as the “Pansus Bulog dan Brunei”, which subpoenaed Gus Dur in January 2001 to explain his possible involvement in the Badan Urusan Logistik, or National Logistic Board (dubbed as Buloggate) and the Sultan of Brunei's donation (dubbed as Bruneigate) scandals. Some DPR members pressured Gus Dur to resign and thousands of students demonstrated against him. Initially Gus Dur refused to comply with the subpoena as he argued that it was unconstitutional, and only the MPR had the power to summon him. However, he eventually agreed to meet the Special Committee on 22 January 2001 at the Jakarta Convention Centre, not in the Parliament Building. He told the Committee that it was illegal, and accused it of being politically motivated to remove him. After making the statement, Gus Dur refused to answer questions concerning the two scandals and left the meeting abruptly.