Megawati ready to be reelected PDI-P chief

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)