Jakarta – Ousted Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid has said that he is ready to run for the post again if there are no other candidates from his party. "I am actually lazy because being president at the moment is not comfortable. I feel more comfortable writing books and spending time with my grandchild," Mr Abdurrahman, who is also chairman of the advisory board of the National Awakening Party (PKB), told a group of PKB members in East Java on Thursday.

"But I have told Alwi Shihab that I will be ready to run for president again if there are no PKB candidates ready to compete for the post," the Antara news agency quoted him as saying. Mr Alwi is currently caretaker of the PKB.

Mr Abdurrahman also urged the PKB to strive to win the next general election and the presidential election at the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

About his ouster, he said: "I was dismissed during the special session of the MPR, which was in violation of the 1945 Constitution. But the truth had become less important as the MPR members insisted on bringing me down."

He said he had "given in" to the MPR members to prevent bloodshed. He dismissed reports that his downfall was purely because of the worsening economic conditions. "America's interest is to maintain its business in the Asia-Pacific region, but I disagreed with it. That's why I was unseated," he said.