Megawati laments the country's situation

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri bemoaned the state of the nation on Monday, saying that much of the country's energy was sapped in an unnecessary tussle for power, while the government fumbled with recurrent errors.

In her closing address to a National Resilience Institute course, Megawati remarked that only so many of the current problems could be blamed on the regime, while the rest were wholly of the current administration's own making.

"We made mistakes in making regulations, then we made mistakes in interpreting and implementing them. We also made mistakes in electing and appointing a person, identifying and formulating our problems," Megawati remarked.

She maintained that the country had many resources that could help it escape from its current crisis, but it was also being consumed in a fight for political power.

"Our main problem is we have been using our opportunities and energy to fight for power instead of solving the crisis," Megawati asserted.

She gave a reminder that the current hardship was a burden shared by the whole country and should be solved by the nation as one, not merely by certain groups of people, and it was unfortunate if many seemed to ignore the crisis the nation was facing.

"The political stalemate between groups and elites has reached a level of concern. Everybody seems to use their own logic ... while boundaries between democracy and anarchy seem to fade," Megawati said.

The Vice President also blasted the implementation of regional autonomy, citing it as an opportunity to create "little kings" across the country that would eventually provoke excessive regionalism.

"Experiences from many countries teach us that regional autonomy may lead to the destruction of a country ... that's why we have to see the concept as an instrument to facilitate democracy, to boost the welfare of the people," she underlined.

"The government's commitment to regional autonomy is sincere, but it is our duty to make sure that its implementation will not lead to the destruction of Indonesia," Megawati said.

At the end of her speech, Megawati reminded the country that to reach the vision of a democratic Indonesia, the nation had to pass through the transitional process wisely and patiently.

She added that a prosperous Indonesia was not something that could be assumed, but had to be worked for.

"We have to find ways to manage the current transitional process so it will not be the end of the nation," she remarked.

At the ceremony, the institute granted Megawati an honorary decree as an extraordinary graduate of the institute.

The institute's governor Ermaya Suryadinata symbolically presented her with a badge to signify her graduation.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Social and Security Affairs Agum Gumelar, Minister of Defense Mahfud MD and Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab were also present at the ceremony. (dja)