Megawati too strong to topple<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Makassar<\/p>\n
Could the recent waves of anti-U.S. street demonstration lead
\nto the downfall of Megawati government?<\/p>\n
Political observers Andi A. Mallarangeng and Maswadi Rauf do
\nnot believe so. The academics say they see no indication that the
\nprotesters and their backers aim to bring her down.<\/p>\n
\"The Megawati government is too strong to topple,\" said
\nMaswadi, a sociopolitical teacher at the University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
There have been concerns that the growing anti-U.S. sentiment
\nexpressed in widespread, sometimes rowdy, street demonstrations
\ncould spell the end of the two-month-old Megawati coalition
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Radical Muslim groups have accused Megawati of offering too
\nmuch to the U.S. Her refusal to condemn the U.S. military
\ncampaign in Afghanistan has also been called anti-Islam.<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng said Megawati's political foes knew it would not
\nbe easy to exploit her difference of opinion with hard-liners for
\npolitical gain.<\/p>\n
\"Gus Dur (Megawati's predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid), whose
\nparty had fewer seats in the House of Representatives, could be
\ntoppled only after 20 months of intense political efforts,\" he
\nsaid in Makassar, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's National Awakening Party (PKB) has 57 seats in the
\nHouse while Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan) has 185.<\/p>\n
Mallarangeng said the Afghan-American issue had posed a
\nproblem, but Megawati still enjoyed considerable legislative and
\ngrassroot support.<\/p>\n
Maswadi stressed that forcing the President to step down would
\nnot be easy because her party was the largest in the House.<\/p>\n
\"If they have ability to topple her, why not try? But I don't
\nthink they can ...,\" Maswadi told the Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
Maswadi, however, had a note of warning for the President.
\n\"Megawati should be sensitive to aspirations from the House and
\nthe public, a quality that Gus Dur did not have.\"<\/p>\n
He pointed out that Gus Dur's biggest blunder was insisting on
\nimposing a state of emergency, which did not work because it had
\nno support and it backfired.<\/p>\n
Legislator Ibrahim Ambong, chairman of House Commission I for
\nforeign affairs, also said he saw no systematic attempts to
\noverthrow Megawati.<\/p>\n
\"I have seen numerous rallies staged in solidarity for Muslims
\nin Afghanistan. I don't think the escalating protests aim to
\nundermine her,\" Ambong said at a discussion aired by state radio
\nstation RRI on Friday.<\/p>\n
Ambong said there was significant difference between the
\ngovernment's stand on the Afghan issue and the expectations of
\nprotesting Muslim groups.<\/p>\n
Angry Muslim have accused the government of doing too little
\nto pressure the U.S. to terminate its military strikes. \"I think,
\nthough, that this could affect the legitimacy of the President.
\nThat's why dialog is urgently needed,\" he added.<\/p>\n
National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Alwi Shihab has said
\nthat it was unfair to assess Megawati's performance when she had
\nbeen in power for only two months.<\/p>\n
\"We should give Megawati more of a chance to prove she is
\ncapable of leading the country before we make any assessment.
\nCollege students are given one semester before they have their
\nfirst assessment,\" Alwi added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-too-strong-to-topple-1447893297",
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