Megawati ready to be reelected PDI-P chief

JAKARTA (JP): In front of an enthusiastic sea of red-and-black clad supporters, Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri said she was ready to be reelected chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

Her statement was met with a resounding roar from the 75,000 people who filled Senayan Stadium to commemorate the party's 75th anniversary.

Megawati's assertion of her readiness to accept the nomination for another five-year term effectively ends the chances of any likely challengers when the party holds its congress in Semarang in March.

"I'm ready to be nominated at next March's congress," Megawati said.

The party's Jakarta chapter chairman, Roy B.B. Janis, who spoke before Megawati, set the stage for the Vice President by asking her to head the party.

Sidelined during the final days of the New Order government under then president Soeharto, PDI Perjuangan rose to become the top vote getter in last June's general election.

There can be little doubt that Megawati gets much of her charisma from her father, founding president Sukarno. But on Thursday she came into her own, evidenced by the thousands of photos of her and President Abdurrahman Wahid being waved by the crowd.

The magnitude of the event was made evident by the presence of Abdurrahman at the ceremony.

In his speech, the President indicated his support for his Vice President's nomination for another term as the party's chairwoman.

"I don't want to meddle in internal party matters, but I would be grateful if my sister was renominated," he said.

Aside from the usual brouhaha of a political party's anniversary, the event seemed to be designed as a "nationalist" response to Muslim gatherings in recent weeks calling for a holy war in response to sectarian violence in Maluku.

The stadium was decorated with models of houses of worship from different religions standing side-by-side.

In his speech, Abdurrahman specifically vouched for Megawati's Islamic credentials. "Megawati is a Muslim. Muslims are not only santri (students at traditional Muslim schools), but can also be fruit sellers in the city."

PDI Perjuangan has often been labeled a Christian party or controlled by Christians. A minister under former president B.J. Habibie once questioned Megawati's religious denomination based on the fact that she had once been seen in a Hindu temple.

The President also cited a Koranic verse which describes people as being from different tribes and nations, and urges them to know and love each other.

Abdurrahman then said Sukarno, who was known as a fervent nationalist, could get along with a known Marxist like Tan Malaka and Abdurrahman's father Wahid Hasyim, who was a Muslim cleric.

"The most important thing is the progress of this nation. Why can't we respect each other in spite of our differences," he asked. (jun/06)