Analysts applaud Abdurrahman and Megawati combo

JAKARTA (JP): The combination of Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri as president and vice president respectively will provide an effective national leadership in Indonesia, political observers said on Thursday.

Commenting on the election of Megawati to the number two slot, they said the pair could calm tension and unrest which erupted in several parts of the country after her defeat in the presidential election to Abdurrahman on Wednesday.

Megawati chairs the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) which won the most votes in the general election in June.

"Megawati's election is expected to help heal the deep disappointment of PDI Perjuangan's supporters. They should cease their violent protests," Arbi Sanit, a political observer from the University of Indonesia, said.

Arbi believed that the president and vice president could get along personally and politically and therefore they could lead Indonesia out of its present crisis.

"They have forged a close personal relationship. Since their parties encompass the Muslim and nationalist forces, they will be able to accommodate the interests and aspirations of Indonesia's two major political groups," he said.

He said the combination of Abdurrahman and Megawati symbolized national reconciliation for a country which has been ravaged by a divisive crisis.

Arbi said the vice presidential post was the least that Megawati should get after leading PDI Perjuangan to garner the most votes in the June general election.

"In democracy, Megawati should have been given the first opportunity to form a government because she had won the election. But she lost the presidential election ... It would be too risky to exclude her in the new government," he said.

Human rights campaigner Todung Mulya Lubis described the combination as dwi-tunggal (two-united-in-one), a term that was coined some 50 years ago to describe the partnership between Megawati's father Sukarno and Muhammad Hatta, Indonesia's first president and vice president.

The combination bode well for the national reconciliation drive and for the building of a strong society, Todung said.

Abdurrahman's government would also oversee the transition to a stronger and democratic government in the future, he said.

Golkar Deputy Chairman Fahmi Idris said the Abdurrahman- Megawati partnership was a combination that Indonesia needed.

"I'm confident that Abdurrahman and Megawati will be able to solve the country's two biggest problems -- the economic crisis and danger of disintegration," he said.

He said he was proud of the new national leadership because both were elected democratically, fairly and transparently.

With the presidency and vice presidency issues settled, public attention now turns to the lineup of the cabinet, which should be announced by President Abdurrahman in coming days.

Asked about Golkar's participation in the cabinet, Fahmi said personally he thought the party should not accept any offer of positions in the cabinet.

Golkar would be better off playing the role of an opposition party in the House of Representatives (DPR), said Fahmi, who was manpower minister in the last cabinet under B.J. Habibie.

"But this question is up to Akbar, not me," he said, referring to Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung.

United Development Party (PPP) Chairman Hamzah Haz praised Megawati for her stateswomanship by settling for the lesser role of vice president.

Hamzah was the loser in the vice president vote.

"I'm pleased that Megawati took the vice presidency although she had targeted the top position. She put the nation's interests above her own," he said.

Ulil Abshar-Abdalla, deputy director of the Institute for Studies on Free Flow of Information, said the elections had been part of Indonesia's learning curve of democracy.

"I am happy to see that the MPR (People's Consultative Assembly) did not elect Habibie or Wiranto," he said. Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Wiranto withdrew his nomination for the vice presidency before the vote took place on Thursday.

He also praised the media for their part in the process.

"It is evident that the media played a major role in promoting democracy," he said.

Church leaders in Irian Jaya said they were hopeful of President Abdurrahman's leadership.

"Gus Dur (Abdurrahman) is well internationally known. He is well respected by all religious communities. He will give the same attention to all faiths," Jayapura bishop Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar told The Jakarta Post.

Chairman of the research and development commission at the Indonesian Bible Camp Church in Irian Jaya, Rev. Benny Giay, said Gus Dur could bring a healthier political climate. (05/eba/rei/rms)