A new leader, a new hope

A new leader, a new hope

Now that the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has
appointed Megawati Soekarnoputri as our new president, there is
still this nagging question of whether she is really cut out for
the job. We mean no disrespect toward her but the problems, or
challenges, facing her today are so complex and daunting that no
woman, or man for that matter, can be expected to resolve them in
a short period of time, certainly not in the time given to this
elected post. What Indonesia probably needs today is not a
President Mega, but a mega-president.

Nevertheless, Megawati's election on Monday at least resolved
the leadership crisis that had engulfed this nation for most of
the last 12 months. Indonesia has plunged deeper into the
political and economic crises because of the lack of an effective
leadership in the administration this past year.

The power struggle between President Abdurrahman Wahid and his
political rivals has consumed so much time and energy of our
politicians that they barely have had time to address other far
more pressing problems all this time.

Now that we have a new leader firmly in place following a
democratic process, the nation's politicians should put the power
struggle behind them, at least for now, and start addressing all
these big problems that have been put on hold for most of the
past year. Resolving the leadership crisis is crucial for it
probably accounts for about half of the problems of this country,
but addressing the other half will be equally tough, if not
tougher.

The new President will need to muster all her skills to tackle
so many problems simultaneously. She also needs a capable team to
help her navigate through these problems. Most of all, she will
need the support of the people to lead the nation out of the
current crisis and put us back on the road to prosperity.

It would be pointless trying to rank the problems facing
Megawati in terms of priority. These problems have been neglected
for so long that almost all of them require immediate attention.

National reconciliation certainly stands out among the most
pressing problems. Abdurrahman's impeachment has left a very
bitter feeling among his supporters. His National Awakening Party
(PKB) still holds a sizable 11 percent of the seats in the House
of Representatives and it therefore has to be involved, if not in
the executive body, then certainly in the legislature.

Then there is the economic recovery program which has been put
on hold because the International Monetary Fund (IMF) kept
delaying the disbursement of its loan tranche to Indonesia on the
grounds of lingering suspicions of the government's commitment to
make meaningful reforms in the economic and financial sector.

Fighting between the military and separatist rebels in Aceh
must be stopped and a peaceful resolution to the problem found.
Tension in Irian Jaya, another province where the demand for
secession is also mounting, must be defused. Sectarian and ethnic
conflicts in Maluku and Kalimantan must end soon.

Finally there is the agenda for political, social and legal
reforms, part and parcel of the movement to build a civil
society. Still on the legal front, Indonesia must prosecute and
punish those who committed human rights abuses and large-scale
corruption in the past.

Is President Megawati really up to the challenges confronting
the nation today? Only time will tell.

She was virtually pushed into the position by circumstances
rather than by design. She became president more by default
because as vice president she automatically took over following
Abdurrahman's ouster. This means that Megawati is inheriting all
the problems, not only the legacy of 30 years of Soeharto's
misrule, but also the legacy of nearly two years of Abdurrahman's
incompetent management of the government.

Whatever reservations people may have of Megawati's competence
and leadership capability, she won the people's mandate through a
democratic process in the MPR. She may not be the mega-president
that we all wished for, but she has the support and the goodwill
of the majority of the people in this country. At the very least,
her election has given the nation new hope.

Given the daunting tasks at hand, this is not a job that any
person, man or woman, can do alone. Megawati's success, to a
large extent, will therefore depend on the continued support and
goodwill that mark the start of her presidency.