Megawati will never be queen<\/p>\n
I read with interest Mr. Huub Neys' letter regarding his
\nsupport for Megawati Soekarnoputri's bid to be the next president
\nof Indonesia (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 28, 1999). Certainly, what
\nhe has written is right. Although, in my opinion there are better
\ncandidates for the job, she is the people's choice and this fact
\nshould be taken into consideration.<\/p>\n
However, it is strange that Mr. Neys should compare Megawati
\nto the queen of the Netherlands. The political system of
\nIndonesia is very different from that of Holland. Megawati is not
\nrunning for the position of queen as a uniting agent, but for the
\nposition of president: someone who should actually run the
\ncountry. Therefore, Mr. Neys' comparison of Megawati to his queen
\nis invalid.<\/p>\n
In any case, I think that the intellectual writers that Mr.
\nNeys refers to should be free to express their opinions; they
\nshould also be able to criticize Megawati when or if she does
\nbecome president. As president, Megawati should not be treated as
\nqueen. After all, we are trying to build a democratic republic
\nand not a monarchy.<\/p>\n
If Mr. Neys were not so patronizing in his letter, perhaps the
\nintellectual writers that he wishes to address might be more
\ninclined to listen to what he has to say. I certainly do not
\nthink that all intellectual writers should only voice the
\naspirations of the people. Who has the right to determine what
\nthe voice of the people is, anyway? Remember what happened during
\nthe Old and New Orders?<\/p>\n
AMIR SIDHARTA<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-will-never-be-queen-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }