Mega's no-show upsets locals

JAKARTA (JP): The closure of Jl. Agus Salim in anticipation of an appearance by President Megawati Soekarnoputri, has left many people disappointed. President Megawati, scheduled to arrive on Tuesday, failed to make an appearance.

Hanafi, a security officer at the Gondangdia subdistrict office, said that President Megawati was to officially open a clinic which conducted free circumcisions in a building across from Theresia Church. Also, Jl. Agus Salim was closed and all schools in the area were given a one-day vacation.

However, President Megawati failed to make an appearance to the disappointment of people in the area, said Hanafi.

"Yesterday the organizer said that President Megawati would arrive and that they would have to close the road and that schools in the area would be given a one-day holiday," said Theresia Seneng Rahayu, whose daughter is a student at a kindergarten in the area.

Apparently, the ceremony was not scheduled into President Megawati's agenda on Tuesday.

Hanafi said that the ceremony, which also showcased Dangdut performers, was organized by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP).

A man who asked not to be identified, said that the ceremony's organizers conduct, had disappointed local residents. "The schools there should not have been given a holiday," he said.