Megawati tells candidates to work hard to win election

Megawati tells candidates to work hard to win election

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri told members of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) on Monday to work
hard to win the 2004 elections.

"We have to work hard to win the elections, without which it
will be difficult for us to emerge as a people's party," Megawati
said in front of thousands of party supporters in Kebumen
regency, Central Java, Antara reported.

During the trip, the President was accompanied by her husband
Taufik Kiemas, Minister of Trade and Industry Rini Soewandi and
Minister of Agriculture Bungaran Saragih.

PDI Perjuangan won the 1999 general election with almost 35
percent of the vote, but doubts have emerged that the party can
repeat its success, partly due to Megawati's perceived poor
performance.

PDI Perjuangan, the biggest faction in the House of
Representatives with 153 seats, has also made several
controversial moves, including backing the reelection of Jakarta
Governor Sutiyoso last year.

Megawati told her supporters that the party's image would play
a significant role in winning the elections. The country's first
direct presidential election will also be held next year.

Analysts have warned that PDI Perjuangan may lose its
traditional backers. Megawati, the party's sole presidential
candidate, may also face tough competition in the race for the
presidency, notably from noted Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.

The Golkar Party and several Muslim-based parties have hinted
at nominating Nurcholish as their presidential candidate.

Megawati has increased her tours across the country to meet
supporters over the past couple of months as election time closes
in.

The President was on a one-day tour to Central Java province
to visit a corn plantation in Kebumen and Air Force Academy
students at Adi Soetjipto air base in Yogyakarta.

The visit had been scheduled some time ago, and coincided with
the lapse of a two-week deadline for the separatist Free Aceh
Movement (GAM) to give up calls for independence and disarm.

Aceh has held the attention of the country over past weeks,
and Megawati has often had to rearrange her agenda to deal with
the problem.

She canceled a visit to Papua on May 17 and will hold a
limited Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which is usually the day she
takes care of party matters.

Speaking before Air Force cadets, the President warned that
Indonesia was not unaffected by international power struggles as
many developed countries wanted to dominate Indonesia.

"Many countries want to have control over us and force their
ideology upon us, but we have chosen to remain free and not be
part of any international bloc," the President said. She did not
elaborate.

Megawati also called on the cadets to protect the territorial
integrity of the country.

"We are a peace-loving country, but we have the right to
determine our own sovereignty," she said.