Megawati says PDI-P will win election<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Regardless of the internal conflicts plaguing her Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle, President Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nexpressed her optimism that the party would come first in the
\n2004 general election.<\/p>\n
\"Whatever system will be applied in the upcoming election, I
\nam sure we will win,\" Megawati told thousands of cheering party
\nsupporters who packed the Klabat Stadium in Manado.<\/p>\n
She was visiting the North Sulawesi capital to attend a
\nceremony marking the party's 30th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Megawati said the PDI Perjuangan would emulate its performance
\nin the 1999 election, when it won 34 percent of the vote to
\nfinish first, due to the hard work and votes of its loyal
\nsupporters.<\/p>\n
However, Megawati fell short of voicing her confidence of
\nretaining the presidency.<\/p>\n
Despite winning the most votes in 1999, Megawati failed to
\ntake the chief executive's post, which went to her then close
\nfriend Abdurrahman Wahid, and had to be content with the vice
\npresidency. Megawati took over from Abdurrahman in July 2001
\nafter the People's Consultative Assembly dismissed him,
\nostensibly for incompetence.<\/p>\n
The nation will experience its first direct presidential
\nelection ever in 2004, just after the general election. Megawati
\nhas stated her intention of running in the race for the
\npresidency.<\/p>\n
The PDI Perjuangan was initially reluctant to accept the new
\npresidential election system, claiming that the people were
\nunready.<\/p>\n
Megawati put mounting criticism of her style of governance
\nbehind her on Saturday, calling on her opponents to wait until
\n2004 to fight in the election.<\/p>\n
\"We are ready to contest the 2004 general election,\" Megawati
\nshouted.<\/p>\n
Her inspiring speech was ironic given that the party has been
\nfacing internal conflicts, which have led to a number of
\nMegawati's key supporters quitting in disappointment at the
\nparty's direction.<\/p>\n
More party members have been criticizing Megawati, and some of
\nthem have called for a special congress to replace her so as to
\nallow her to focus on the affairs of state.<\/p>\n
Early last week, senior party member Kwik Kian Gie said the
\nPDI Perjuangan had become the most corrupt party since Megawati
\ntook office as president.<\/p>\n
Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, also warned on Friday that
\nthe party needed to improve its performance and focus on paying
\nmore attention to its constituents in order to claim a back-to-
\nback win in next year's election.<\/p>\n
During her speech on Saturday, Megawati also criticized the 30
\npercent quota for women legislative candidates as is stipulated
\nin the Elections Law.<\/p>\n
\"As party chairwoman, I reject this because it appears to
\nconfirm that women can only be successful in politics out of
\ncharity,\" said Megawati, the country's first woman president.<\/p>\n
\"I was chosen as the president not because of pity but because
\nthe people needed me.\"<\/p>\n
In her capacity as president, Megawati visited Bitung
\nimmediately after her arrival in North Sulawesi to take a closer
\nlook at a fishing port, fishing academy and an earth satellite
\nstation there.<\/p>\n
The President also visited Manado to attend the opening
\nceremony of the Indonesian Christian Women's Organization
\n(PWKI)'s national congress.<\/p>\n
Among her entourage were husband Taufik Kiemas, maritime
\naffairs and fishing minister Rokhmin Dahuri, forestry minister
\nMohamamd Prakosa, trade and industry minister Rini Suwandi and a
\nnumber of party executives.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-says-pdi-p-will-win-election-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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