The power game<\/p>\n
For many people at the grassroots level in Indonesia, Megawati
\nSukarnoputri has been the great hope for the country ever since
\nshe withstood the efforts of former president Suharto to depose
\nher as leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party in 1996. It was
\nher courage in the face of military thuggishness that won her
\nmassive support in the June parliamentary election, and brought
\nher the consolation prize of the vice-presidency when Abdurrahman
\nWahid was elected last October.<\/p>\n
But Mr. Wahid's announcement that he is finally about to
\ndelegate some powers to his second-in-command, giving her more
\nsay in the day-to-day running of the cabinet, is welcomed more
\nfor its tacit acknowledgement of his own limitations, than for
\nconfidence in the abilities of Ms. Megawati to solve Indonesia's
\neconomic woes.<\/p>\n
Lack of political experience aside, she has not been very
\neffective in her efforts to halt the violence between Muslims and
\nChristians in the Malukus. That is the only yardstick by which it
\nis possible to judge her skills, since she has otherwise kept a
\nlow profile over the past 10 months.<\/p>\n
But the more important point in recent events in Jakarta is
\nthat \"Gus Dur\" (President Abdurrahman Wahid) has held on to his
\njob by telling parliament what it wanted to hear. National
\nstability is maintained at least for the time being. It will be
\nsome time before it becomes clear whether parliament can draw up
\nground rules that ensure that Ms. Megawati has genuine power, but
\nperhaps only a short period after that to determine whether she
\nis sufficiently adroit to stay in control in a system where there
\nare so many vested interests in resisting reforms and maintaining
\nthe status quo.<\/p>\n
The Vice-President's support from other parliamentarians may
\nbe in part because they think she could be easier to manipulate
\nthan he President.<\/p>\n
A major bargaining session will now be going on, with all
\nparties jockeying for a share of power. But it is part of the
\npolitical reality in Jakarta that reformers must accept they have
\nto make deals with some less welcome bedfellows if they are to
\nsurvive.<\/p>\n
Pruning the cabinet to 25 members should help to streamline
\nthe system, making it easier for her to establish firm control;
\nbut the crucial question is precisely how much power Mr. Wahid is
\nprepared to relinquish. He is not a man to let go of the reins
\neasily.<\/p>\n
And if, as his critics point out, he has made little progress
\non the domestic front, that is in part due to the difficulties of
\ndealing with a civil service that flourished under former
\npresident Suharto, and has no appetite for reforms. His
\nperformance may have been erratic, but is there anyone in the
\nbackground who could do any better?<\/p>\n
-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-power-game-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }