Megawati speaks in Bali
Megawati speaks in Bali
As the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI Perjuangan), President Megawati Soekarnoputri, whose
paternal grandmother is Balinese, delivered a passionate speech
in Bali on Sunday.
The occasion was the 30th anniversary of the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), which commemorated the birth of the party
30 years ago, when a number of nationalistic parties plus two
small Christian parties (Protestant and Catholic) merged into a
single party. This move was on the recommendation of President
Soeharto, who wanted to streamline and simplify the profile of
Indonesia's domestic politics. Historically, however, Megawati's
PDI Perjuangan was formed as a splinter organization in a meeting
of party dissidents in Surabaya only in 1996.
It was Megawati's first public speech after her controversial
decision to raise the prices of fuel oils, electricity and
telephone services. Obviously, the audience, which was estimated
at about 10,000 people, were Megawati supporters. It is therefore
misleading that she should feel psychologically satisfied at the
boisterous response that she received from a loyal audience.
Consequently, that warm response side-tracked her from reading
out a well-prepared speech that, among others, contained
references to the issue of terrorism and the urgent need for
reform in state judicial institutions. She could have used the
opportunity in Bali to address the nation, and not only the
limited audience in front of her, on her overall policy approach.
She did touch superficially on the fact that the price
increases are a bitter necessity for improving the long-term
welfare of the Indonesian people. The danger of her Bali
appearance, however, is that she will pay even less heed to the
critical opinions and constructive criticisms that are aired by
both opinion leaders and the media. Psychologically, she now
feels confident in the belief that having spoken directly to the
people, she would be able to rally strong support for her
policies.
It is this kind of misplaced political confidence and the
illusion of the efficacy of her political power that could give
rise to new problems in the coming days and months.