Megawati tells MPR to heed voters

Megawati tells MPR to heed voters

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri appealed on Monday
to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to heed the
aspirations of the people when it elects Indonesia's next
president on Wednesday.

"The nation's political elite must put the interest of the
people first," she said in a limited interview with Indonesian
journalists. "After all, who holds the sovereignty? The people,
or the MPR?"

Megawati, whose PDI Perjuangan won the June general election,
did not discount the possibility of widespread violence if
Wednesday's vote failed to satisfy the public's expectations.

However, she said that she opposed violence and that any
uprising would likely be initiated by elements outside party
structures.

Government and military officials have said they are bracing
for the possibility of mass demonstrations and other unrest
involving PDI Perjuangan supporters if Megawati fails in her
presidential bid.

When this question was put to Megawati, she said that those
who accused her party of condoning unrest should consider the
history of violence perpetrated against her party and its
members.

Megawati cited the violent attack in 1996 against her party's
headquarters and the kidnapping of party executives. "I lost my
secretary-general and deputy secretary-general.

"But up to now, we have managed to overcome these issues
without resorting to violence."

Megawati promised to control her own party members, but said
it would not only be her responsibility to calm people if they
were outraged by the MPR decision.

"Why should I be the sole person responsible? The unrest in
the past was perpetrated by people who were not from PDI
Perjuangan."

Megawati said that many people had been determined to ensure
that they could exercise their right to vote in June. She
recalled the way people raised money in their neighborhoods to
build local polling stations.

"The general election happened because they wanted it to
happen... the voter turnout was quite magnificent.

"The MPR cannot squander their hopes. The future of the people
in the republic is in the hands of 700 MPR members."

Fears of mass unrest should she fail to take the top post were
purely academic as Megawati said that she was optimistic that she
would win the vote on Wednesday. Megawati refused to discuss
possible scenarios or contingency plans if she was unsuccessful
in her bid.

Abdurrahman Wahid, the Nahdlatul Ulama chairman who aspires to
the top post, and who counts on the support of Muslim factions in
the MPR, suggested in an interview with Tempo magazine that
Megawati prepare herself to play the role of an opposition
leader.

When asked to comment on the article, Megawati said: "I don't
want to talk about scenarios. Let's just wait for the result."

Megawati denied accusations that she failed to take the
initiative of approaching other reform leaders, including
Abdurrahman and Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN),
after her party won the general election in June.

"We made some approaches, although they were not made public,"
she said.

Megawati said despite differences which were often blown out
of proportion by the media, she shared many common interests and
goals with other reform leaders.

The 35 percent share of the vote won by PDI Perjuangan however
was not enough to secure the presidency. To be successful,
Megawati will need to cut deals with other parties.

Amien's party and Abdurrahman's National Awakening Party (PKB)
were earlier expected to provide that support. But the two
leaders abandoned a united stance, and Amien even took the
initiative of nominating Abdurrahman.

Megawati staked her claim to the presidency by virtue of
winning the June elections.

"Our 35 percent is real. The other 65 percent is not. But now
it seems that they are trying to amputate our rights through a
process they call constitutional. Well, let me ask them,
constitutional according to whose interpretation?"

She defended her silent stance on many political issues since
winning the election, saying that she did not want to confuse the
public who had been bombarded with too many comments following
the euphoria of newfound freedom in the country.

"The country is in an abnormal situation because of the
prolonged crisis."

Megawati expressed concern at the use of Islamic symbols by
her political opponents to discredit herself and her party.

"Why should they bring religion into politics? They are making
the situation, which is already abnormal, worse."

Megawati said the subsequent outcry had disturbed many PDI
Perjuangan supporters, the majority of whom were Muslims.

"I cannot deny my Balinese ancestry," Megawati said, recalling
the attempt to discredit her position as un-Islamic.

Her father, Indonesia's first president Sukarno, was half
Balinese. Bali is a predominantly Hindu province.

Megawati appeared more at ease talking about the kind of
government or the kind of Indonesia she would like to lead.

She said she would recruit the best people to take Indonesia
out of the current crisis and restore peace and stability to the
country.

She said that the job would necessitate calling on talent from
outside her own party.

On her vision for the country she had a simple answer:

"I want to see Indonesia blossom, where the children smile,
where children enjoy going to school, and where women are not
afraid to talk politics in the markets.

"I want to see Indonesia blossom, where people have high self-
esteem and a strong identity." (emb)