Megawati, husband off to Bali for New Year's

Megawati, husband off to Bali for New Year's

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her husband Taufik Kiemas
flew to the resort island of Bali on Saturday to celebrate the
New Year holidays, while her government implements its drive for
more modest lifestyles and introduces austerity measures to cut
unnecessary state expenditure.

Her 44-member entourage, comprising family members and close
friends as well as officials, including Minister for State
Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi, left for Denpasar from Jakarta's
Halim Perdanakusuma airport at noon aboard a presidential plane.

Before her departure Megawati presided over an Army ceremony
in Senayan, Central Jakarta in the morning and recorded her year-
end television address for transmission on Monday night.

Megawati is scheduled to stay in Bali for five days, spending
most of the time in the Tapak Siring Palace, where she will also
host a special party to mark her husband's birthday and welcome
in the New Year on Monday. She will return to Jakarta on
Wednesday.

A source close to the First Family told The Jakarta Post that
Megawati had initially wanted to hold the party at one of the
five-star hotels in Bali, but the venue was changed to the palace
for reasons that remain unclear.

Tapak Siring Palace, built by Megawati's father and the
country's first president, Sukarno, was often used to house
important guests during his tenure, which ended in 1965.

The President's leisure trip to Bali has also raised a public
debate as it comes just a few days after she endorsed a series of
savings initiatives announced by State Minister of Administrative
Reforms Feisal Tamin last Wednesday.

The austerity measures encourage the efficient use of state
assets and the adoption of a modest life-style by government
officials. They also frown on the hosting of luxury parties, ban
office anniversary celebrations and restrict the use of formal
attire to special occasions only.

The measures are also aimed at inspiring state officials to
work much harder to combat widespread corruption, collusion and
nepotism (KKN).

Megawati could perhaps argue that the new austerity measures
do not apply in this case, as her trip to Bali is personal in
nature. But the people might question the logic of this argument
since the visit involves the use of state assets.

A modest lifestyle is not her way, even though she was the
nation's most clearly populist leader during former dictator
Soeharto's rule. Long before she took power in July, Megawati
frequently embarked on overseas shopping trips.

A more recent example was her two-day stopover in Hong Kong
for shopping before the daughter of the founding president and
her husband continued on to Shangai, China to take part in this
year's APEC meeting.

Last year, Megawati spent New Year's eve and celebrated
Taufik's birthday in Hong Kong when she was still serving as vice
president. The visit sparked a public outcry given that it took
place amid the country's prolonged economic crisis.

It is common practice in Indonesia for senior leaders to fail
to set a good example for their subordinates, and their actions
often contradict their noble statements.

Megawati has also been under fire for appointing her husband,
who is still serving as a legislator, to lead a special
government delegation to China from Dec. 18 to 20.

Critics say the selection of Taufik represented a classic
conflict of interest, given his role as Megawati's husband, a
legislator and businessman, and have demanded that the President
clarify her decision.