Mega may not meet Susilo before inauguration<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Outgoing President Megawati Soekarnoputri hinted on Tuesday that
\nshe may not meet Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla before
\ntheir inauguration on Oct. 20, raising concern over a smooth
\ntransfer of power.<\/p>\n
Susilo and Kalla, who won the Sept. 20 election by a landslide
\nvictory, have several times publicly expressed their desire to
\nsee Megawati before their inauguration.<\/p>\n
Megawati said in Bitung, North Sulawesi on Tuesday that she
\nsaw no urgency in meeting the pair as she was never in conflict
\nwith them.<\/p>\n
\"I often ask myself why do I need to have a reconciliation.
\nSuch a move is only for two warring parties who need to sit down
\ntogether and find solutions (to their disputes).<\/p>\n
\"The transfer of power proceeds peacefully as there is nothing
\nunusual,\" Megawati was quoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Following her crushing election defeat, Megawati, who is also
\nchairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P),
\ncalled on the House to endorse a bill that would require Cabinet
\nministers wishing to join the presidential election to resign at
\nleast six months before the election date.<\/p>\n
Both Susilo and Kalla were Megawati's coordinating ministers.
\nSusilo, former coordinating minister for political and security
\naffairs, resigned in March, while Kalla, former coordinating
\nminister for people's welfare, resigned in April.<\/p>\n
While she had appealed to the public to accept the election
\nresult, Megawati has refrained herself from congratulating the
\ntwo over their victory.<\/p>\n
However, Megawati, who took over the national leadership in
\n2001 after the People's Consultative Assembly impeached former
\npresident Abdurrahman Wahid for incompetence, has made a number
\nof crucial decisions, including the appointment of Army chief
\nGen. Ryamizard Ryacudu as acting Indonesian Military (TNI) chief
\nfollowing the resignation of Gen. Endriartono Sutarto from the
\npost.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the government also decided to close down the Aceh
\nASEAN Fertilizer factory in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh allegedly due
\nto a shortage of gas supplies.<\/p>\n
Party sources told The Jakarta Post, on Tuesday that they
\nwere still trying to arrange a meeting between Megawati and
\nSusilo either on Oct. 18 or Oct. 19.<\/p>\n
It was not immediately clear, however, if the sources were
\nreferring to a planned meeting between family members of the
\nSukarno family or a separate meeting.<\/p>\n
One of Sukarno's sons, Guruh Sukarnoputra, said earlier that
\nhe was arranging a meeting between Susilo and members of the
\nSukarno family, including Megawati, before his inauguration on
\nOct. 20.<\/p>\n
Guruh, who is also a member of the House of Representatives,
\ndid not give the exact date and venue for the meeting.<\/p>\n
Susilo, a retired four-star Army general, had held meetings
\nwith several families of former presidents and vice presidents as
\npart of what he said as a national reconciliation campaign.<\/p>\n
Megawati also chided on Tuesday that party members and
\nofficials left her and the party when it was apparent that she
\nwas not going to win the election.<\/p>\n
\"I have noticed that many people began to walk away from the
\nparty (when it became obvious) that the party would lose the
\nelection. We should not develop such habits, especially when the
\ntransition proceeds orderly,\" Megawati said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/mega-may-not-meet-susilo-before-inauguration-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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