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)