Vaudine England, Jakarta – In the latest sign of rising disappointment in President Abdurrahman Wahid – a year after he swept to power – a poll has shown that most Indonesians want him sacked.

Since the near-blind Muslim cleric was made president with high hopes for political and economic recovery, the mood has become sombre and cynical as revelations about corruption and incompetence multiply.

The random poll, published in the respected Tempo news weekly, found that 65 per cent of respondents want the top legislature to hold a special session to dump the President.

Only 35 per cent said he should be given more time. Of those who want Mr Wahid to go, 40 per cent said he had failed to carry out his reform agenda and 30 per cent said he was not competent to run the country. The poll also showed the general ambivalence about who should take his place.

If Mr Wahid was toppled, the survey asked if he should be replaced by Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri, with Parliamentary Speaker Akbar Tandjung as her deputy. Fifty per cent said no, 49 per cent said yes, while one per cent said they did not know.

The findings support the beliefs of a range of political commentators who fear, 2.5 years after the fall of former president Suharto, that the promise of the "Reformasi" movement to democratise and clean up Indonesia has evaporated. Sympathetic critics of Mr Wahid say his task is formidable and that he has not been helped by the quality of advice from his inner circle.

But the more impatient observers point to Mr Wahid's inability to demonstrate he can govern. He failed to enforce his choice of senior generals in a recent military reshuffle, is facing the vital relationship with the United States being jeopardised because of an unruly Defence Minister, and has failed to imprison any member of the Suharto family.

The appearance of weakness is made worse by the now well established belief that members of Mr Wahid's family and inner circle are benefitting personally from their elevation to the presidential palace.

Mr Wahid has spoken of a need to delay prosecutions against key tycoons, and has appointed loyalists to control the economic levers of government. His family is reputed to enjoy the perks of lavish gifts and the paying of bills by businessmen, in a clear reminder of the Suharto regime.

Mr Wahid's chief spokesman on Friday said the sickly 60-year-old was incompetent and uncontrollable. But Mr Wahid has a good heart and is still the best choice to save the battered country, Wimar Witoelar said.

"For this presidential office, the things that one hears outside basically are all true – you know, how disorganised it is ... an uncontrollable President," said Mr Witoelar. "I can say with all the honesty I can convey here that this man is a good guy. I can also say that my man does not have the competence to govern."

Constitutional efforts to unseat Mr Wahid, however, remain stalled by a lack of witness testimony to support corruption claims against the President, now being investigated by parliament. So long as Mr Wahid retains the support of his Vice-President he can feel relatively safe. "He may only be keeping his job because it suits all his opponents to keep it that way, for now," a political scholar said.