Wahid offers deputy power-sharing deal

Jakarta - The Indonesian President, Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, yesterday offered his deputy, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, a power-sharing…

Jakarta - The Indonesian President, Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, yesterday offered his deputy, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, a power-sharing deal as part of a last-ditch attempt to stave off impeachement, while the military warned of chaos if the deal was refused.

But a government minister said Ms Megawati had asked for time to consider the offer, made at an emergency cabinet meeting five days before the National Assembly was to decide whether to call an impeachment session. Officials from her party later insisted that she had rejected the proposal. But her spokesman, Mr Bambang Kesowo, said she had made no decision, indicating the impasse could drag on through the weekend.