Megawati stakes claim as leader<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Opposition leader and presidential hopeful
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri asserted on Thursday the victory of her
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) in the
\nJune 7 polls was a clear mandate for her to lead the nation.<\/p>\n
"As the leader of the winning party, I have obtained the
\nmandate from the people to form a new government which is in line
\nwith the people's aspirations," she said in her first political
\nspeech after winning the elections with 33.7 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
She claimed the election result was also a "no-confidence vote
\nfor the incumbent government".<\/p>\n
Megawati therefore called on the government of President B.J.
\nHabibie "not to take any decision that goes beyond its authority
\nas a transitional government".<\/p>\n
"I call on the head of the transitional government not to take
\nany strategic and binding decisions without consulting the party
\nwhich represents the majority of the vote," she said.<\/p>\n
Megawati said the people wanted the current government to
\nconcentrate only on implementing the People's Consultative
\nAssembly decrees, including one that mandates it to thoroughly
\nsettle alleged poll fraud.<\/p>\n
Speaking to hundreds of assembled supporters, Megawati also
\nclarified her stance on a number of issues including demands to
\nbring former president Soeharto to trial, the military's
\nsociopolitical role, amendment of the 1945 Constitution and the
\nAugust self-determination ballot in East Timor.<\/p>\n
"What should be done in relation to former president Soeharto
\nis to have a direct and thorough investigation," Megawati said,
\nadding that if he was found guilty, the justice system to be set
\nup by her government would make sure that he was punished.<\/p>\n
Regarding demands for the military to withdraw from politics,
\nMegawati said she was bound by an agreement she signed in
\nNovember along with three other reform leaders -- Amien Rais of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN), Abdurrahman Wahid of the
\nNational Awakening Party (PKB) and Yogyakarta Governor
\nHamengkubuwono X -- known as the Ciganjur accord.<\/p>\n
"As a leader whose words and promises should be honored, I am
\nclearly bound by the Ciganjur agreement," Megawati said.<\/p>\n
The four leaders at that time agreed on a gradual pullout of
\nthe military from the country's political arena, including the
\nHouse of Representatives.<\/p>\n
She also said she was not opposed to amending the 1945
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
However, she said she would only agree to changes "after there
\nis clarity on which specific articles are to be amended, why and
\nfor what they need to be amended".<\/p>\n
Megawati also said she will accept the result of the UN-
\nadministered referendum on possible independence for East Timor.<\/p>\n
"I have no intention whatsoever not to respect the decision
\nthat will be taken by the East Timorese to determine their own
\nfuture through a referendum," she said.<\/p>\n
"The agreement that has been signed by Indonesia and Portugal
\non the East Timor referendum is binding for the whole nation."<\/p>\n
However, Megawati criticized Habibie's decision to hold the
\nreferendum and said if she were president she would never have
\nallowed it to go ahead.<\/p>\n
"Habibie's decision was in contempt of the 1978 People's
\nConsultative Assembly decree that stipulates East Timor as
\nIndonesia's 27th province."<\/p>\n
Megawati also warned other Indonesian territories not to use
\nthe East Timor referendum as an argument to break away from the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
"I call on all people to respect the sovereignty of Indonesia,
\nreferendums cannot be held in other Indonesian regions for
\nwhatever reasons," she said.<\/p>\n
Calls for a referendum on self-determination have been
\nmounting in the westernmost province of Aceh following a decade
\nof brutal anti-rebel operations, which only halted last year.
\nGroups of dissatisfied Irianese have also spoken of separation
\nfrom the Indonesian state.<\/p>\n
Megawati, however, said the source of all problems in Aceh
\nwere political, social and economic injustices.<\/p>\n
"The Aceh problem is clear evidence of the failure of the New
\nOrder government and its successor to uphold the law and
\njustice," Megawati said.<\/p>\n
The military has been accused of widespread human rights
\nabuses during the anti-rebel operations, but so far the
\ngovernment has failed to bring any alleged perpetrators to court.<\/p>\n
Megawati broke down in tears when she said she would do her
\nbest to stop violence in the province, where more than 150 people
\nhave been killed in the clashes between the military and
\nsuspected rebels since May.<\/p>\n
"When Cut Nya' (your female leader) leads the country, I will
\nnot let any single drop of blood touch the Aceh soil," Megawati
\nsaid, referring to herself in an Acehnese term.<\/p>\n
"I will give all my love and your Arun so that Acehnese can
\nenjoy how beautiful their soil is," she said referring to the
\nlargest oil and gas field in the province.<\/p>\n
Megawati also called on the House to put off deliberation of
\nthe bill on state security, saying the legitimacy of legislators
\nwas in question and the bill was prone to human rights
\nviolations.<\/p>\n
Observers have warned that the bill grants excessive power to
\nthe military and the government in the event of perceived threats
\nto the state.<\/p>\n
The bill gives the president the authority to declare a state
\nof emergency in troubled territories. The president also is
\nallowed to delegate his or her authority to the military, which
\nis given free rein to handle threats to state security.<\/p>\n
Also present on Thursday were leaders from a number of other
\npolitical parties, including Alwi Shihab and Matori Abdul Djalil
\nof PKB, Abdillah Thoha of PAN, Edi Sudradjat and Hayono Isman of
\nthe Justice and Unity Party and former Cabinet member Sarwono
\nKusumaatmadja. (byg)<\/p>",
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