In a recent interview with the AsiaWeek magazine, Laksamana commented on the incoherent character of the government and its policies. A lot of people try to get close to him and whisper something to him, and we don't know the truth behind the whispers. I personally don't think the cabinet is solid. The cabinet has no program. Everything is ad hoc and impromptu.
Big business is fearful of the impact of further political instability.
The political rifts nevertheless appear to be widening. PDI-P faction chairman Arifin Panigoro was at pains to assure the media that the interpellation plan was not aimed at toppling Wahid. According to newspaper reports in Jakarta, Wahid's masseur convinced a senior Bulog official in January that the president wanted the money transferred to bank accounts to fund charity work in Aceh province. The official has been arrested, the masseur is missing and the president, his foreign minister Alwi Shihab and close aide Bondan Gunawan have denied any involvement in the affair. Bondan has nevertheless resigned.