It hangs over the nation like a dark cloud. President Abdurrahman Wahid insists up until the last minute that a second memorandum is unnecessary. His hour draws nearer. His more radical supporters from East Java insist that they must make war against the memorandum and its supporters.

In the terminology of football, which Wahid so loves, it is no longer just a question of a yellow card. It could be a red one. Wahid the striker could be sent off