Mega asks politicians to work for country

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri called on the political elite and the people in general on Sunday to sacrifice personal ambition and to start working to bring the country out of the current crisis.

Speaking before tens of thousands of her supporters in Medan, North Sumatra, Megawati said that her government needed solid support from political parties.

"Without strong support from the legislature and other elements in society, it is impossible for the government I am leading to function effectively," Megawati was quoted by Antara as saying.

Megawati, who is also chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), took over the presidential post in July 2001 riding on support from a loose coalition that included the Golkar Party and Muslim-based political parties.

The coalition, however, appeared to be cracking after the Attorney General's Office named House Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who is also Golkar chair, as a suspect in a Rp 54.6 billion financial scandal involving the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

Golkar, which played a pivotal role in ushering Megawati into the number one post, once threatened to withdraw its support for Megawati's administration if PDI Perjuangan continued to press for the setting up of a House inquiry committee to investigate Akbar's alleged misappropriation of the funds.

Without Golkar's backing, Megawati's administration is unlikely to be able to function effectively as she does not enjoy strong support from the Muslim-based parties.

Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Amien Rais, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), has also been very critical of Megawati's policies.

Megawati also lamented the tendency of power-hungry politicians to pursue their political ambitions which has hindered the House's ability to deliberate bills badly needed to institute reforms.

"Instead of working to get the country out of these crises, we are focusing on bringing the other person down, with the hope that once the (political) seat is empty one can immediately fill it," said Megawati.

The nation's largest political parties have been plagued by internal rifts. While members within PDI Perjuangan are primarily broken into camps of old and new members, the Golkar Party is divided into camps that support Akbar and those against him. Rifts among party members within the United Development Party (PPP) have led to the establishment of a splinter group.