Mega comes bearing gifts as election runoff nears
Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu
President Megawati Soekarnoputri visited Palu, the capital of Central Sulawesi province, on Tuesday, with the presidential election runoff now just two weeks away.
She inaugurated several projects in the province during her one-day visit, but fell short of making a much-awaited statement on the prolonged sectarian conflict in Poso regency, which is located only some one hundred kilometers from Palu.
In an impromptu speech in Palu, the President only called on people in Palu to preserve order and security ahead of election runoff on September 20, when she will face a tough challenge in the personage of Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Megawati, who was accompanied by Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Soenarno during the visit, also urged people in the city to protect the environment.
It was Megawati's second visit to Palu after a previous visit to the city in 2002.
Palu has been badly affected by the sectarian conflict in Poso, which broke out in 2000. The conflict claimed the lives of some 2,000 Muslims and Christians, and largely subsided two years later after a government-sponsored peace pact.
However, sporadic attacks are still happening in Poso and Palu, claiming some lives and fueling fears of further violence among Palu and Poso residents.
The recent killings of a Christian clergywoman and a senior prosecutor were two clear signs that the sectarian conflict in the area is far from over, and also reveal the apparent inability of the government to address the security problem.
Projects worth a total of Rp 265.663 billion (US$28 million) were inaugurated by Megawati during her visit to Palu. The projects included a clean water project, a project to renovate the road between Taripa and Tomata in Morowali regency, an irrigation project in the same regency, and the construction of refugee camps in Morowali and Poso regencies.
Besides inaugurating the projects in her capacity as President, Megawati also handed over billions of rupiah in grants, soft loans and scholarships to people and students in Central Sulawesi province.
This included scholarships funded by the state pawnshop company, PT Pegadaian, and state social insurance company PT Jamsostek.
After inaugurating the projects and handing over grants, soft loans and scholarships, Megawati formally opened the Al-Khairaat Islamic Boarding School National Meeting at a separate location in Palu. In her speech, Megawati promised that she would help facilitate the opening of a school of medicine at Al-Khairat Islamic University in the city.
The Al-Khairaat Muslim organization was established in 1930 and it now runs a university, 1,557 Islamic elementary schools, 35 Islamic boarding schools, three polyclinics and dozens of other business units. The organization boasts millions of followers in the eastern part of Indonesia.