Megawati against the federal state concept

Megawati against the federal state concept

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi (JP): Vice President Megawati
Soekarnoputri said on Saturday she was opposed to the idea of
turning Indonesia into a federal state.

She said she was also very concerned at efforts being made by
several provinces to separate from the Republic of Indonesia.

Speaking at the first provincial conference of the South
Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) here, the Vice President, who is also chairperson of the
PDI-P, said she had no idea how certain parties and members of
the political elite could prefer a federal state.

"How can you imagine if we (the nation) disintegrate. We'll
have to raise our own flags, sing our own anthems and may well
have to have our own militaries. Is it possible?" Mega said.
"What we have now is an archipelagic country, not a continental
one."

"It is difficult to imagine Sulawesi, Sumatra, Java,
Kalimantan and Irian Jaya wanting their own governments. What
happens to me, considering I am of Javanese, Balinese and
Sumatranese descent? Where will I stand?" she said.

Megawati is the eldest daughter of the country's founding
father and first president Soekarno, who was well-known for his
obsession with unity.

Last year, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais
aired the idea of the establishment of a federal state.

Amien said he was skeptical about the benefits of maintaining
a unitary state, fearing it could lead to the disintegration of
Indonesia.

Amien, who has been one of President Abdurrahman Wahid's
staunchest critics recently, said that independence and referenda
should be taken into consideration after a federal system had
been tested.

Conflicts

Megawati also expressed her grievances over the prolonged
fighting in Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya.

She said dealing with the conflicts was not easy, adding that
it was unfortunate that many people had pinned high hopes on her
after the President declared her responsible for bringing peace
to the affected regions.

She has visited Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya on peace missions.

"It is not just my responsibility," she said, referring to
people who have accused of failing in her task.

"It is the task of the whole nation to help settle these
conflicts," she said. "As vice president, I have the task to
oversee the situations in the restive regions."

She said she felt alone (in handling the conflicts). "I was
all alone. I was busy visiting Maluku and Irian. And when riots
erupted again after my visit, people said I was incapable of
bringing the region under control, and was too slow. So I ask
myself, is the vice president the only person in this country?"
(27/sur)