Suddenly political change is before our eyes. Set off by the appointment of Gen eral Chaerudin Ismail as temporary po lice chief, the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) in the end called a special session on Saturday, July 21. President Abdurrahman Wahid has often threatened to issue a decree that the nation is in a state of emergency if it gets this hard. He reacted firmly.

"The MPR special session is unconstitutional," he said