One year on<\/p>\n
There must be something wrong, or missing, if, as of today, a
\nyear after President Megawati Soekarnoputri took the helm, she is
\nstill an enigma to most people. It is really ironic that we have
\nsurvived for thirty years playing the guessing game of what was
\non former president Soeharto's mind and now we have to endure,
\nfor how long we don't know, years of trying to figure out what's
\nreally on Megawati's.<\/p>\n
The real reason behind her support for the reelection of
\nunpopular Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, for example, is the latest
\npiece in the puzzle. And the fact that she has refused to give a
\nsatisfactory and comprehensive explanation of her endorsement has
\nadded another layer of mystery to the Megawati guessing game.<\/p>\n
Of course she is not as mysterious as the Mona Lisa, with her
\nmysterious smile. And unlike the sphinxes, which have been
\nsmiling but not speaking for centuries while guarding the
\npyramids, Megawati speaks a lot and smiles a lot. But there is no
\ndenying that she prefers to keep many things to herself. Whether
\nit is because she is full of distrust of other people, or because
\nshe has no one she feels she can trust fully is an unanswered
\nquestion.<\/p>\n
To be fair, her \"silence is golden\" stance is a welcome breath
\nof fresh air after 18 months of the noisy, unpredictable and zig-
\nzag style of government of her predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid.
\nHer silence may have had a stabilizing effect on a jittery
\neconomy, as demonstrated by the stronger rupiah and a relatively
\ncalm market in the last few months.<\/p>\n
That's why there's a high, perhaps too high, expectation of
\nMegawati's administration. People who were fed up and numbed by
\nthe crisis, expected her to be a savior who could raise the
\ncountry from the mire. And when the slow-moving administration
\ndid not immediately deliver on expectations -- one cannot deny
\nthat the multidimensional crisis is too huge to resolve within so
\nshort a time -- people became disillusioned. As time went by, the
\nadministration's weaknesses became more exposed.<\/p>\n
A public opinion poll conducted by Kompas daily last week
\nrevealed what the public felt about the Megawati administration.
\nThe survey questioned 1,773 respondents in 13 cities and
\ndiscovered how public confidence in Megawati's leadership had
\ndwindled. Most said they were disappointed by the
\nadministration's performance in almost all aspects. For example,
\nthey rated the administration's performance in politics and the
\njudiciary as poor. Only 21 percent expressed satisfaction with
\nthe government's performance in upholding the law, as compared
\nwith 52 percent during the first three months of her
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
In the combat to eradicate corruption, an even larger (85
\npercent) proportion of respondents was dissatisfied with the
\nadministration's performance. One of the most interesting
\nfindings in this survey is that 74 percent of the respondents who
\nclaimed to be Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
\nPerjuangan) voters in the 1999 election expressed dissatisfaction
\nwith Megawati's government.<\/p>\n
The mounting criticism of Megawati, to a certain extent, has
\nbeen caused by the administration's poor handling of public
\nrelations. Governing requires good communication and a lack of it
\ncan cause miscommunication and misunderstanding. And a president
\nshould communicate with the public openly on a regular basis
\nabout her vision and agenda. The many problems of the current
\nadministration are undoubtedly caused by Megawati's reluctance to
\nbe more open to media scrutiny. For example, for months the
\npublic has questioned the role of Megawati's husband Taufik
\nKiemas in a number of political deals, but not a word of
\nexplanation has ever come from Megawati's mouth.<\/p>\n
She seems to be content with her present style of leadership
\nby delegating power to the three coordinating ministers, thus
\nallowing herself a four-day working week, as Friday is allocated
\nfor dealing with PDI Perjuangan affairs.<\/p>\n
In short, Megawati has not tried hard enough to build,
\nmaintain or sell a good image as a leader. She seems to be
\nignorant of, or perhaps confident of her image with the public,
\nthus causing people sometimes to call her insensitive. She has
\ntended to let the enigma grow around her.<\/p>\n
Therefore, a lot of questions have been left hanging and
\nunanswered. For instance, is Megawati a true reformer? Can we
\nexpect her to reform the country and should she be given another
\nterm of office after 2004? Is she a naive politician when she
\nclaims that she has trust in the country's legal system (despite
\nits shortcomings) and therefore did nothing to push the fight to
\ncombat corruption?<\/p>\n
Does she hide her incompetence and weaknesses behind her
\nsmiles and repeated excuses, for example, that she simply
\ninherited a garbage bin?<\/p>\n
Only Megawati herself can answer these questions. She should
\nknow modern politics needs mass marketing to build, sell,
\nadvertise and market images and ideas. If we impose a direct
\npresidential election by 2004, voters and not parties will have a
\nfinal say in electing the president. If Megawati does not start
\nto cultivate her image, she might miss her chance. Unless, of
\ncourse, she chooses to postpone the direct presidential election
\nto 2009.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/one-year-on-1447899208",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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