Vaudine England, Jakarta – Indonesian political confidence took a dive along with the rupiah yesterday as President Abdurrahman Wahid defied demands to explain his sacking of two ministers amid demonstrations and flag-burnings on the road outside Parliament.

Only after pressure did Mr Wahid decide to offer written replies to questions from members of the House of Representatives. Members of the voting blocs that brought him to power were dismayed at what they saw as arrogance towards the House.

"It's a case of the President having to learn to communicate better," said Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, Minister for Marine Exploration. "The dismissal of the ministers is only an entry point – actually they [Parliament] are very frustrated at his style. What they want to hear from him is, 'OK, OK, OK, I have done some bloopers in my time, but I will try to do better'. That would have solved it."

Mr Wahid said he saw no need to be present at the session: he had come in the name of transparency and democracy. His State Secretary, Djohan Effendi, read a speech reiterating Mr Wahid's view that Parliament's attempt to question him on his decision to fire the two ministers was unconstitutional.

State Enterprises and Investment Minister Laksamana Sukardi and Trade and Industry Minister Jusuf Kalla were sacked at the end of April without explanation.

Mr Wahid is sticking to the letter of the law, which allows the president full discretion to hire and fire. "We cannot entertain requests for explanations or clarifications," Mr Effendi said. "The reality is that the right to ask clarification from the president by the Parliament is not stated in the constitutional law."

Regardless of legal niceties, however, Mr Wahid has defied political realities by further upsetting the divided but increasingly powerful Parliament.

On August 7, he will face the larger People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest constitutional body, to account for his first year in office, and parliamentarians are threatening to issue statements of censure or even try to convert the session into an impeachment. "The message is clear to the President - he is intelligent enough – that he has to shape up," said Mr Sarwono. "Hopefully next time round we could see some sign."

House Speaker and Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, when asked what would happen next, said: "What's important is to let society know that the DPR [House of Representatives] is not satisfied with his answers."

Mr Wahid is not averse to daring power plays and may wish to show his supremacy by asking the nation, once again, to hold its breath over what he says next. But most commentators fear this is a case of pride before a fall. "So, please explain to us the reasons for the sacking," said Julius Usman, a member of Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P). "Don't use all that legal mumbo-jumbo."

"If he does not make the right move, he will be in trouble," said Mr Laksamana, the respected former minister whose fall helped precipitate events. Spelling out the letters, Mr Laksamana commented: "How difficult is it for him to just say s-o-r-r-y?"