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219 印尼新总统要求尊重民主政体
Indonesia's New President Urges Respect for Democratic Process
Gary Thomas
Jakarta
23 Jul 2001 14:28 UTC
Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid has been 1)impeached by Parliament and removed him from office. Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri was immediately sworn in after Monday's historic vote, the first impeachment in Indonesia's history.
The Peoples' Consultative Assembly, or MPR, Indonesia's highest lawmaking body 2)dismissed Abdurrahman Wahid from office Monday, and replaced him with Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
All the legislators present voted to 3)revoke the 4)mandate they gave Mr. Wahid when they elected him 21 months ago and turned the office over to Ms. Megawati. She will serve out the remainder of Mr. Wahid's term, which ends in 2004.
As the result was announced, Ms. Megawati's husband, legislator Taufik Kiemas, burst into tears. Ms. Megawati was immediately sworn in right after the vote.
In an apparent appeal to Mr. Wahid and his 5)fervent supporters, Ms. Megawati called on all Indonesians to accept the democratic process.
Mr. Wahid was ousted for alleged corruption and 6)incompetence. The impeachment, which is what the vote amounted to, came after several days of uncertainty in which Mr. Wahid and Parliament embarked on a 7)collision course, with neither side willing to be the first to turn away.
Mr. Wahid insisted Parliament had no right to remove him and called the special MPR session "illegal and unconstitutional." He tried a series of desperate 8)maneuvers to avoid the sinking of his presidency, including a declaration early Monday suspending Parliament. It was a toothless declaration, since the security forces said they would not enforce it, and only had the effect of speeding up Mr. Wahid's 9)ouster.
Mr. Wahid's former press secretary and spokesman Dharmawan Ronodipuro says Mr. Wahid, Indonesia's first democratically elected president, wasted away an enormous amount of goodwill with his 10)erratic and 11)combative style of governance. "His statements, his pronouncements, his actions, I don't think reflect those of a democrat," Mr. Ronodipuro said. "And the sad thing is, will be remembered as a president who has slowed down the process - I won't go so far as saying stopped, but slowed down the process - of democracy? Is that what he will be remembered for? Or will he be remembered for all his 12)pronouncements, for his threats that the country is going to break up if he is no longer president?"
In the end, the military, the political establishment, and the judiciary all turned on Mr. Wahid, leaving him isolated and alone in the palace. Aides say he slept through the impeachment vote.
And in Indonesian politics a new 13)precedent has been set, as far as the president goes, parliament gives and parliament takes away.
(1) impeach[Im5pi:tF]vt.控告, 检举,弹劾, 怀疑
(2) dismiss[dIs5mIs]vt.解散, 下课, 开除, 解职vi.解散
(3) revoke[rI5vEJk]vt.撤回, 废除, 宣告无效vi.n.有牌不跟
(4) mandate[5mAndeIt]n.(书面)命令, 训令, 要求vt.委任统治
(5) fervent[5f:vEnt]adj.炽热的
(6) incompetence[In`kCmpItEns]n.无能力, 不适当
(7) collision[kE5lIV(E)n]n.碰撞, 冲突
(8) maneuver[mE5nu:vE(r)]v.机动n.机动
(9) ouster[`aJstE(r)]n.驱逐, 夺取,[律]剥夺,驱逐
(10) erratic[I5rAtIk]adj.无确定路线, 不稳定的
(11) combative[5kRmbEtIv]adj.好战的, 杀气的, 好斗的
(12) pronouncement[prE5naJnsmEnt]n.声明
(13) precedent[5presIdEnt]n.先例
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