Megawati, siblings mark father's anniversary

Megawati, siblings mark father's anniversary

Febiola Desy Unidjaja and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Bandung

In celebrating the 102nd anniversary of founding president
Sukarno's birth, President Megawati Soekarnoputri held a
purifying ceremony for her father's amulets at the Bogor
Presidential Palace on Friday.

Clad in a kebaya (traditional blouse), Sukarno's eldest
daughter attended the ceremony, which was led by five preachers
from Karangasem and Gianyar, Bali.

Sukarno's mother was Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai Srimben, a Balinese
Hindu high priest's daughter, and Raden Mas Soekemi
Sosrodihardjoe, a Javanese school teacher.

The ceremony, titled Karya Agung Pasupati Pusakaning Bung
Karno in Indonesian, was also attended by Sukarno's sons Guruh
Soekarnoputra and Guntur Soekarnoputra.

The press were barred from covering the sacred ritual.

Purifying amulets such as traditional daggers and spears is
considered sacred by most Indonesians who still believe in such
traditions.

Many believe that Megawati is among those Indonesians who
believe that keeping amulets will ensure the welfare of the
deceased and also maintain ties between the deceased and his
offspring.

But not all of Sukarno's children attended the ceremony. Local
newspapers reported that Rachmawati Soekarnoputri was against the
celebration.

"Even if I was asked to participate, I would have said no,"
she was quoted by the Rakyat Merdeka daily as saying on Friday.

She suspected that Megawati was trying to invoke supernatural
powers to maintain her presidency, which has come under sharp
criticism recently.

Rachmawati has always been Megawati's staunchest critic and
has allied herself with Megawati's political opponents, such as
former president Abdurrahman Wahid and National Mandate Party
(PAN) chairman Amien Rais.

Instead of attending the ceremony, Rachmawati staged a large
ceremony attended by 1,000 supporters of her newly-founded
Pioneer Party (Partai Pelopor).

In Bandung, Sukarno's anniversary was celebrated by dedicating
an Indonesia Menggugat (Indonesia Demands) plaque at the former
Dutch Landraad (District Court) building.

The plaque was signed by Megawati on Dec. 30, 2002, when she
visited Bandung.

West Java Governor R. Nuriana said that the dedication marked
the renovation of the building, which was where Sukarno and three
of his colleagues, Gatot Mangkoepradja, Maskoen Soemadiredja and
Soepriadinata, were tried by the Netherlands Indies
administration on Dec. 22, 1930 for attempting to subvert the
lawfully established government.

At the trial, Sukarno read out his own defense, which later
came to be known as Indonesia Menggugat. He was convicted and
sentenced to four years in Sukamiskin jail.