Dashed hopes: Megawati seen as failed reformer<\/p>\n
Miyuki Hokugo, Jakarta Correspondent, The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo<\/p>\n
It's been a rough year for Megawati Soekarnoputri as
\nIndonesia's president.<\/p>\n
While she has managed to secure aid from the international
\ncommunity, she has failed to show progress in the expected areas
\nof democratization and economic reform. And her popularity has
\nsuffered as a result.<\/p>\n
Unhappy with her authoritative attitude, the Indonesian public
\nhas begun to call the President -- whose last name means
\n\"daughter of Sukarno\"-- Soehartoputri, or \"daughter of (former
\ndictator) Suharto.\"<\/p>\n
\"The donor nation's representative rode the subway to the
\nconference, while the aid-receiving nation's delegate came in a
\nfancy car,\" said Nurcholis Madjid, a prominent scholar of Islam,
\nreferring to an international aid conference for Indonesia, held
\nin Paris in April. The professor has since continued to criticize
\nthe Megawati government as resembling the dictatorial regime of
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
Megawati basing can be heard everywhere. The President is
\nknown to be so secluded that even her closest aides have a
\ndifficult time scheduling an appointment with her, and she hardly
\never explains her policies to the public.<\/p>\n
Bureaucrats are beginning to repeat a quote often used during
\nthe Soeharto's dictatorship- \"Whatever the President wants.\"<\/p>\n
Unlike her predecessor former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who
\ntried to strip the military and former political forces of
\nauthority, Megawati makes no strong calls for reform. In fact,
\nthe military reforms started by the previous administration have
\nbeen put on the back burner and the military's influence over the
\ncurrent administration is growing stronger by day.<\/p>\n
Reforms to the country's judiciary and police system are also
\ngoing nowhere.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, court sentences often change two or even three
\ntimes, with the judge suspected of taking bribes at every turn. A
\nUnited Nations official reporting to UN Secretary General Kofi
\nAnnan on a fact-finding mission to Jakarta said that Indonesia's
\nlegal system is in worse condition than expected.<\/p>\n
On July 23, the first anniversary of Megawati's assuming the
\npresidency, The Jakarta Post published a front-page article which
\ncriticized Megawati as \"trading reform for stability.\"<\/p>\n
Despite the public's efforts to focus the President's
\nattention on reform, Megawati's top concern now is a power
\nstruggle between her husband Taufik Kiemas, and State Secretary
\nBambang Kesowo. The two were foes from the start, but their ties
\nhave been especially strained since Kiemas accused Kesowo of
\nbeing a burden to Megawati.<\/p>\n
Kesowo is an elite bureaucrat from the President's Office, in
\ncharge of Megawati's administrative work since she was vice
\npresident.<\/p>\n
Kesowo's authority has grown to the point where insiders say
\nit is impossible to met Megawati unless Megawati likes you.<\/p>\n
Kiemas, who is in charge of coordinating with other political
\nparties and handling complaints on behalf of Megawati, has been
\ntrying to strip Kesowo of his powers.<\/p>\n
Caught in a bind to please both major players in her
\nadministration, Megawati has kept silent on the conflict. The
\npolitical forces that boosted Megawati to the presidency one year
\nago are also starting to fall apart.<\/p>\n
Political parties are moving in their own direction ahead of
\nthe 2004 presidential elections. The parties still support
\nMegawati, but mostly because they believe it is to their benefit
\nto stay on the President's side until the general elections.<\/p>\n
Vice President Hamzah Haz, who leads the nation's Muslim-based
\nUnited Development Party (PPP), is also preparing for
\npresidential election. He is trying to project an image of
\nhimself as a representative of Muslim forces by meeting with
\nradical Islamic leaders.<\/p>\n
Megawati is keenly watching the Vice President's moves,
\nraising fears of a clash between the two leaders.<\/p>\n
The President is also creating conflicts within the Indonesian
\nDemocratic of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the ruling party that
\nshe heads. She provoked protests from PDI Perjuangan supporters
\nwhen she blocked a special committee charged with investigating
\nallegations of public-fund misappropriation by House Speaker
\nAkbar Tandjung.<\/p>\n
And that's not all. Megawati declared her support for Lt. Gen.
\n(ret.) Sutiyoso, the incumbent Jakarta governor in the upcoming
\nJakarta gubernatorial election in September, despite Sutiyoso's
\ninvolvement in cracking down her party leadership in 1996, before
\nthe party's Jakarta chapter announced who it was backing. While
\nboth moves were aimed at maintaining political stability, the
\nimmediate result was to shake the support system.<\/p>\n
Now Megawati is now approaching a point where she is regarded
\nsimilar to Soeharto, in a total contrast to her previous image as
\nsymbol of democratization and reforms.<\/p>\n
We may get an inkling of the answer at the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) general assembly starting on Aug. 1.
\nAt the top of the session's agenda is constitutional reform aimed
\nat changing the way the nation chooses its president. The parties
\nhave already agreed to change the system to a direct presidential
\nelection by the people instead of within the MPR. But the parties
\nare split over what to do if no candidate wins a majority of the
\nvotes.<\/p>\n
Muslim parties led by Vice President Hamzah Haz and MPR
\nSpeaker Amien Rais are proposing a provision aimed at
\nstrengthening the Islamic cast of the Constitution, raising the
\nconcern of Megawati's aides. This move is aimed at shaking up
\nMegawati, who has always stressed the importance of nationalism.<\/p>\n
The debate over the revision, the fourth in Indonesia's
\nhistory, is expected to conclude this session. There are reports
\nthat if the debate ends in a deadlock, the parties will place all
\nthe blame on the ruling PPP and immediately launch an anti-
\ngovernment campaign.<\/p>\n
A prominent Cabinet member fears that the constitutional
\nreform will trigger chaos.<\/p>\n
The President plans to weather the storm by attempting to
\npostpone constitutional reform and reshuffle the Cabinet, hoping
\nto win consent from political parties in exchange for Cabinet
\nseats.<\/p>",
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