Vaudine England, Jakarta – When President Abdurrahman Wahid feels cornered, he will lash out and strike his opponents.

Despite his remarks that yesterday's reshuffle was designed to mend bridges with Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri, that appears to many observers the motivation behind the President's announcement. The wonder is that he still has people he can call on in the cabinet to do his bidding.

Several of his ministers have let it be known that if Mr Wahid declares a state of emergency they will desert him. As the reshuffle avoids the unacceptable idea of suspending the Parliament, which is driving moves to impeach him for alleged corruption and incompetence, several cabinet members apparently can live with the shake-up.

"Wahid is a master tactician," a source said last night. "A decree to dissolve Parliament is a big no-no. But a move to harass, or rather to have some action done against, corrupt parliamentarians is okay." This was the idea behind Mr Wahid's original plan yesterday morning to move his security chief, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, into an unspecified new position, another source said. The idea may have been disingenuous, or so nebulous as to indicate to Mr Susilo that he had no future with Mr Wahid. Whatever the case, the minister quickly indicated he preferred to leave Mr Wahid's team.

The President's attempt to juggle the leadership of the police by making his police chief "inactive" without going through Parliament will infuriate many, but seems similarly to be part of a new effort to bring the corrupt and the high-powered to book. Linked to that idea was the move of Baharuddin Lopa from the post of law and justice minister to attorney-general. Mr Lopa has made a name recently as being incorruptible and fearless in going after alleged wrongdoers.

Outgoing Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman has been compromised by too many meetings with his case subjects and by allegations that his political ambitions were impeding his ability to snare high-profile suspects.

Initially yesterday it appeared the price for keeping him in cabinet – he is a member of the former ruling party, Golkar – was to make him foreign minister in place of loyal Wahid confidant Alwi Shihab. But in the end, Mr Marzuki did not take the bait – he has coveted the Foreign Ministry job for years – and Mr Shihab keeps his job.

Former general Agum Gumelar, until now transport minister, was asked to become the new security chief to fill Mr Susilo's shoes. Mr Agum is described by a colleague as "a Megawati man", and the hours-long delay in his reply to Mr Wahid's offer may have involved a call to Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri's office.

If the cabinet reshuffle succeeds in its key aspects – moving Mr Lopa to the attorney-general's post and keeping a former general, albeit a different one, on side in the top security position – Mr Wahid will have gained a reprieve. He could then use the extra time won to his advantage.

"Wahid will be able to go after the legislators who are against him and who can be arrested on corruption charges," another source said. Under these plans, the first target would be former trade and investment minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita, a figure from the Suharto era whom Mr Marzuki has failed to put behind bars.

The source also suggested extradition requests would be sent out to catch men such as Fuad Bawazier, a financier and point-man for Suharto suspected of funding demonstrations.

For now, Mr Wahid's high-stakes gamble in promoting Mr Agum appears to have paid off. Had it not, it would have been the ultimate humiliation for a president who three days ago was recommended for impeachment by a large majority in Parliament. It would have meant that no matter what enticement he tried to offer potential allies, he would have had no bargaining power left.

If, having reshuffled his team, he now tries anything more precipitous – like calling a state of emergency – it would give the People's Consultative Assembly the pretext it needs to bring forward a special session, slated for August 1, at which he still looks highly likely to be impeached.