TAUFIK KIEMAS AGAINST IDEA OF IMPEACHMENT

Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, Jan. 23 (ANTARA) - Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Taufik Kiemas has expressed his disagreement to the possible impeachment of the president and vice president, saying it would only divide the nation.

"If I am asked whether I agree with impeachment, I will say that personally I don't. There should be no impeachment," Taufiq Kiemas said here on Saturday in response to a press question on the possibility that the president and vice president would be impeached over the Bank Century bailout scandal.

Kiemas said the nation had bitter experiences in its history concerning impeachment. He cited as examples the removal of Indonesia's second and third presidents - the late Soeharto, and BJ Habibie, and the impeachment of Gus Dur, Indonesia's fourth president.

"Relations among the nation's citizens became very bad. Impeachment only divides the nation," Kiemas, concurrently chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP)'s Advisory Board, said.

Therefore, Kiemas said, he hoped no impeachment would ever happen again in the future.

He also said in politics three important things should always exist or be practiced : offering apologies, accepting apologies and ability to ban vengeance. .

"In politics, there are always differences of opinions which are actually necessary," he said.