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CNN Live At Daybreak

Indonesia: A Government in Crisis

Aired July 23, 2001 - 08:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, overseas a government crisis in Indonesia. The National Assembly in Jakarta has impeached the president and elected his deputy to replace him.

The latest on this fast-moving story from Maria Ressa, our Jakarta bureau chief.

Maria, first and foremost, where is President Wahid? Is he still barricaded in the presidential palace? Maria Ressa?

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, he is still at the palace.

There has been no public statement from him today. He has not spoken to the press. But what we know from his spokesman is that he said -- he has said that he will not resign from office. He claims that he is still the constitutional leader of the country, and he does not recognize the legality of the constitutional -- of the Assembly meetings that have removed him from office -- Carol.

LIN: So, Maria, who is going to pry him out of there? What is likely to happen next?

RESSA: Well, this task now falls to the president of Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri, his vice president. Now, they were once very good friends, over the last year, though, have grown increasingly estranged.

Keep in mind, though, that Megawati has been in the same position Mr. Wahid was in. She is the daughter of Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno. When she was a teenager, she remembers getting kicked out of the palace. So many people on the inside say that they believe she will find a face-saving way for Mr. Wahid to help him gracefully exit the scene. That of course remains to be seen.

The other reason that it's important to find a face-saving way is because of Mr. Wahid's followers. In the past, they have reacted violently to any moves against him -- Carol.

LIN: Maria, give us a quick synopsis of how this call came about. When did the crisis begin?

RESSA: This actually -- the battle between executive and legislative began a year ago. And we have seen it ratcheted up -- the tension ratcheted up, really culminating this weekend -- on Saturday, President Wahid saying he would not submit to a special Assembly that the lawmakers had called. They demanded an accountability speech from him. He said he would not deliver it. Lawmakers then said -- that kicked into formal impeachment proceedings against him -- this special session that we saw today.

Mr. Wahid gave a 1:00 a.m. announcement Monday morning declaring a state of civil emergency, basically trying to freeze the Assembly -- trying to move it so that Assembly procedures were frozen. No one followed that order. As we have seen today, the Assembly went on ahead. Mr. Wahid watched as his support dwindled one by one -- first, the lawmakers defying his order, police and military, finally the supreme court.

Mr. Wahid is still in the palace. It is nighttime in Jakarta. It has been an incredible weekend, when he has seen himself replaced as president and now must deal with what to do next -- as well as Megawati Sukarnoputri must deal with that problem.

LIN: Fascinating story.

All right, thank you very much, Maria Ressa, our Jakarta bureau chief, covering the story as it is now unfolding.

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