Mega plans massive party to mark 57th birthday

Mega plans massive party to mark 57th birthday

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian Museum of Records (Muri) will likely add to its
collection thanks to President Megawati Soekarnoputri's generous
plan to invite 5,300 people to celebrate her 57th birthday on
Jan. 23 at the Jababeka industrial estate in Cikarang, West Java.

There is a good chance the museum will declare this fiesta
the largest presidential birthday celebration ever held in
Indonesian history. The biggest obstacle Megawati faces in
grabbing the record is probably her father Sukarno, the country's
founding president, who was known to put on huge events during
his rule.

According to an internal memo circulated by the Presidential
Secretariat on Friday, the President's guests will include
orphans, factory workers and businesspeople. The party will be
held after Megawati visits factories operating inside the estate
on Friday morning.

The President will invite all of the people working at the
industrial estate to share in the celebration of her birthday.

Hundreds of orphans from several orphanage in the capital and
the surrounding areas will also have the opportunity to have
lunch with the First Family.

"At the party the President is expected to cut nasi kuning (a
traditional rice cone) prepared for her," the memo states.

Megawati was born in Yogyakarta on Jan. 23, 1947.

This will be the biggest birthday party Megawati has hosted
since replacing Abdurrahman Wahid as President in 2001. She spent
her first birthday in office with her family and the second with
a small group of members from her Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P).

A palace official, who spoke to The Jakarta Post on the
condition of anonymity, expressed concern that the birthday
gathering could be construed as an early campaign stop for the
upcoming general election. Megawati will also contest the
country's first ever direct presidential election in July.

Megawati's brother in-law, Santayana Kiemas, was quick to deny
the birthday party was a political rally, saying the PDI-P would
not be involved in the event.

"It is a personal or a presidential event, separate from the
party. Therefore it cannot be considered a campaign rally,"
Santayana told the Post.

When asked about possible negative reactions to the massive
birthday party, the palace official said: "We are still preparing
the event, but in the end it is up to the President to decide
whether she will have it like that or not."