Robert Go, Jakarta – President Abdurrahman Wahid's latest move to avert dishonour yesterday included the appointment of Mr Baharudin Lopa – a loyalist who legislators said would at once dig up corruption cases against opposition leaders – as Indonesia's new Attorney-General.
Mr Abdurrahman said in a televised interview: "I appointed Mr Baharudin so that he can push through clearer judicial actions – the judiciary will now be more effective."
But several MPs from the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) and Golkar, the two largest factions in a Parliament that this week overwhelmingly voted for impeachment procedures against the President, described the move as "vengeful" and "smacking of desperation".
Top PDI-P cadre Sophan Sophian said: "Gus Dur's PKB party has already threatened corruption investigations against PDI-P and Golkar officials. He is panicking and will stoop to all measures, including throwing dirt at other people and hoping it would stick, to push back critics and save his own neck." PDI-P leader Arifin Panigoro, Golkar's Ginandjar Kartasasmita and even Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's husband, Mr Taufik Kiemas, have all been mentioned as potential targets of future corruption investigations.
Earlier this week, sources close to the President also passed over several "documentations" incriminating Mr Ginandjar and Mr Arifin in separate corruption cases to some members of the foreign press, urging disclosure and publication of these cases.
MP Pramono Anung, also a close confidante of Ms Megawati, said: "The President's decisions will create confusion and send prosecutors on wild-goose chases. But it will not stop the impeachment." Golkar MP Ferry Mursyidan Baldan agreed that the dismissal of A-G Marzuki Darusman, a long-time member of Golkar, represented a continuation of Mr Abdurrahman's efforts to hit back at the party of former autocrat Suharto.
"The President's mobs, especially in his popular stronghold of East Java province, have previously attacked local Golkar and PDI-P offices, and demanded Golkar's dissolution in recent weeks.
"Mr Marzuki was punished because of his failure to defend Gus Dur last week, his opposition to a declaration of civil emergency, and his continued refusal to prosecute people simply because the President ordered him to do so.
"At a time when he should be consolidating his existing Cabinet and preparing his accountability speech, Mr Abdurrahman shows his autocratic tendencies and still tries to impose his own will on the entire country," Mr Ferry said.
Mr Ade Komaruddin, yet another Golkar MP who has been a vocal critic of the President, said: "Gus Dur thought he could control Golkar through Mr Marzuki. Now he wants to control Golkar through the use of bogus prosecutions of our officials." Mr Baharudin was previously Indonesia's Minister of Justice and Human Rights and was renowned as a tough anti-corruption crusader during his earlier days as a public prosecutor in South Sulawesi. Since becoming Justice Minister in February, he has proposed several drastic and well-received anti-corruption measures, but was also attributed authorship of the controversial civil emergency declaration.