Megawati must develop trust

Megawati must develop trust

Megawati has now entered the second phase of her presidency. The second phase will be quite different from her first six months, during which she was allowed to rule in peace.

The first six months are now long over and the political elite has not withdrawn its support. However, discontent toward her government is on the rise. Specific groups, such as human rights activists, as well as the general public are dissatisfied. The activists are particularly disappointed by the fact that she has given a bigger role to the military.

A wider dissatisfaction is related to the way economic problems are being handled. It seems that Megawati's administration is doing nothing to improve the exchange value of the rupiah. On the contrary it seems busy further burdening the people, as reflected by various hikes: electricity and telephone charges as well as fuel prices. All these could have been avoided if her administration had done its utmost to improve the rupiah's value.

The public dissatisfaction is more a reflection of skepticism about the sincerity of her attempts to save the nation in comparison to the technical aspects of policies on privatization or the reduction of subsidies. The integrity of Megawati's family is now also being questioned. The allegations made by George Junus Aditjondro about Taufiq Kiemas and Puan Maharani's activities stand as one small example of public distrust.

Many other feelings of discontentment have erupted. In her second six months, she should address the lack of public trust. Megawati needs to develop public trust by maintaining the integrity of her family. This will help improve conditions in the nation.

-- Republika, Jakarta