Mega may not meet Susilo before inauguration

Mega may not meet Susilo before inauguration

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Outgoing President Megawati Soekarnoputri hinted on Tuesday that
she may not meet Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla before
their inauguration on Oct. 20, raising concern over a smooth
transfer of power.

Susilo and Kalla, who won the Sept. 20 election by a landslide
victory, have several times publicly expressed their desire to
see Megawati before their inauguration.

Megawati said in Bitung, North Sulawesi on Tuesday that she
saw no urgency in meeting the pair as she was never in conflict
with them.

"I often ask myself why do I need to have a reconciliation.
Such a move is only for two warring parties who need to sit down
together and find solutions (to their disputes).

"The transfer of power proceeds peacefully as there is nothing
unusual," Megawati was quoted by Antara as saying.

Following her crushing election defeat, Megawati, who is also
chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P),
called on the House to endorse a bill that would require Cabinet
ministers wishing to join the presidential election to resign at
least six months before the election date.

Both Susilo and Kalla were Megawati's coordinating ministers.
Susilo, former coordinating minister for political and security
affairs, resigned in March, while Kalla, former coordinating
minister for people's welfare, resigned in April.

While she had appealed to the public to accept the election
result, Megawati has refrained herself from congratulating the
two over their victory.

However, Megawati, who took over the national leadership in
2001 after the People's Consultative Assembly impeached former
president Abdurrahman Wahid for incompetence, has made a number
of crucial decisions, including the appointment of Army chief
Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu as acting Indonesian Military (TNI) chief
following the resignation of Gen. Endriartono Sutarto from the
post.

Earlier, the government also decided to close down the Aceh
ASEAN Fertilizer factory in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh allegedly due
to a shortage of gas supplies.

Party sources told The Jakarta Post, on Tuesday that they
were still trying to arrange a meeting between Megawati and
Susilo either on Oct. 18 or Oct. 19.

It was not immediately clear, however, if the sources were
referring to a planned meeting between family members of the
Sukarno family or a separate meeting.

One of Sukarno's sons, Guruh Sukarnoputra, said earlier that
he was arranging a meeting between Susilo and members of the
Sukarno family, including Megawati, before his inauguration on
Oct. 20.

Guruh, who is also a member of the House of Representatives,
did not give the exact date and venue for the meeting.

Susilo, a retired four-star Army general, had held meetings
with several families of former presidents and vice presidents as
part of what he said as a national reconciliation campaign.

Megawati also chided on Tuesday that party members and
officials left her and the party when it was apparent that she
was not going to win the election.

"I have noticed that many people began to walk away from the
party (when it became obvious) that the party would lose the
election. We should not develop such habits, especially when the
transition proceeds orderly," Megawati said.