Susan Sim – Senior cadres of the top Indonesian political parties, who have been meeting secretly for the past two months, are close to signing an agreement to back Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri as president until 2004.
But first they have to persuade President Abdurrahman Wahid to resign or be impeached, a difficult task given that Ms Megawati is "very ready to become president" but still reluctant to drive him out.
A senior official of her party, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), told The Straits Times yesterday that the caucus had agreed tentatively on four points:
Once president, Ms Megawati will be left to rule as she sees fit until the next presidential election in 2004, when the post will be up for grabs again.
She will choose her own vice-president, or leave the post vacant.
As a "permanent coalition", the six parties will commit to a common platform on issues like the role of the military, rooting out corruption and economic recovery.
As quid pro quo, Ms Megawati will consider nominees of merit from all six parties for ministerial positions and shape the cabinet according to their voting strength in parliament.
Another source said PDI-P members had also demanded an explicit guarantee that no one would go after her once their common enemy, Mr Abdurrahman, was out of the way.
And the other parties gave their word readily. As a member from one of the Islamic parties said: "We are trying to give a boost of confidence to Megawati. We want her to be more decisive."
Sources said the caucus members – 28 in all, representing the top parties apart from the president's – had the "full authority of the party chiefs to take decisions".
They name as key members Messrs Kwik Kian Gie and Arifin Panigoro from PDI-P, Syamsul Muarif and Fahmi Idris from Golkar, Hatta Rajasa from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Bachtiar Chamsyah from the United Development Party, and Hartono Mardjono from the Crescent Star Party. The Justice Party, which votes as a bloc with PAN, is also represented.
Apart from the ideological extremes now represented, several army generals are also being invited to join the caucus, making this an "unconventional coalition" united only in the resolve to oust Gus Dur, a source noted.
But one of the caucus' first public acts, a petition calling for an emergency session of the People's Consultative Assembly, was shot down by Ms Megawati last week, apparently because she thought it was to impeach Mr Abdurrahman. The truth, a PDI-P official said, was that the caucus intended to show Gus Dur that he had lost political legitimacy and should thus resign.
Their second proposed action – a rally this weekend to counter the president's planned 150,000 strong "prayer session" in Jakarta – was also dropped out of fear that saboteurs would provoke a riot.