Megawati slams the concept of absolute power<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With her chances of succeeding the embattled
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid increasing by the day, Vice President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri on Monday slammed the concept of absolute
\npower in leading the country.<\/p>\n
Indonesia needed a new vision of power to lift itself out of
\nthe present crisis and to prevent it from becoming the \"sick man
\nof Asia\", Megawati said in a speech to mark the 36th anniversary
\nof the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas), a government
\nthink tank.<\/p>\n
The speech came as Abdurrahman faces mounting pressure to
\nresign or face impeachment. Megawati, who will likely succeed him
\neither way, has been criticized in the past for keeping too low a
\nprofile, leaving many to second guess her vision as well as her
\nability to lead.<\/p>\n
Her speech at Lemhanas gave a rare glimpse into the vision of
\nthe \"president-in-waiting\", from the need to preserve the
\ncountry's territorial integrity, a new vision of power that is
\naccountable to the people, to the inclusion of a human dimension
\nin the management of the state, and a foreign policy that
\nsupports national objectives.<\/p>\n
Indonesia had no choice but to adjust itself so as to become a
\nconstructive force in the new world order, Megawati said.<\/p>\n
\"The highest priority for reform is our vision of power. In a
\nworld that has become interdependent, there is no place for the
\nabsolute power concept.<\/p>\n
\"In this modern world, all power is relative and must be
\naccounted for, both to the people as the repository of the
\nstate's sovereignty, and the civilized world,\" she asserted.<\/p>\n
Megawati said Indonesia must abandon the old concept of power
\nwhich tended towards authoritarianism in favor of a democratic
\nconcept.<\/p>\n
\"Power is simply a tool, a means to achieve higher goals,
\nnamely prosperity and peace for all the people,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"In this new vision, the measure of success for a leader is no
\nlonger the amount of power that he accumulates, but on how far
\nthis power can benefit the people,\" she said.<\/p>\n
A leader should derive his legitimacy from the people and not
\nfrom his own power, she added.<\/p>\n
While professing to remain loyal to Abdurrahman, Megawati's
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) has
\nplayed a pivotal role in the House of Representatives' passing of
\ntwo successive motions of censure against the President.<\/p>\n
The President has until May 30 to respond to the House's
\nlatest censure. An unsatisfactory answer could trigger the launch
\nof impeachment proceedings.<\/p>\n
If and when Megawati succeeds Abdurrahman, she will inherit a
\nnation in near ruin following decades of mismanagement.<\/p>\n
In her speech, the daughter of first president Sukarno was
\nfully confident that Indonesia would be able to adjust, stressing
\nthe need to focus on the human dimension in the new world order.<\/p>\n
\"For us, the future of this nation depends on the question of
\nwhether or not we are able to adapt to this human dimension.<\/p>\n
\"If we were able to do so, we would not only be lifting
\nourselves out of the present crisis, but we would also be able to
\nprovide a better standard of living for all our people.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia, she said, ought to learn from the failures of the
\nmany nation states which had disintegrated in the later part of
\nthe 20th century.<\/p>\n
\"We need to learn and analyze the factors that caused such
\ntragedies, and use this knowledge to prevent a repetition in our
\nown beloved country,\" she said. (dja)<\/p>",
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