Megawati to face hurdles as president, says Lee

Megawati to face hurdles as president, says Lee

SINGAPORE (Agencies): Singapore's patriarch Lee Kuan Yew said Indonesia's opposition leader Megawati Soekarnoputri would have difficulties if she was elected the country's next president.

"She's going to have a very tough time to prove that she deserves to be there, that her judgments are sound and that she can solve Indonesia's problems," because the presidency has been seriously weakened there, The Sunday Times quoted Senior Minister Lee as saying during a local forum on Saturday.

Lee, who led the island-state for more than 30 years and remains an influential political figure here, said he doubted Megawati could rule with the same power as former presidents Soeharto or her father, Sukarno.

Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) garnered the most votes during the June 7 general election, and is widely considered the favorite for November's presidential election.

Respect for the Indonesian presidency collapsed, Lee said, leading to Soeharto's resignation in May 1998 following a popular uprising that forced him out after more than three decades in office.

Lee said he sympathized with President B.J. Habibie, who inherited a much diminished position, and whose authority has been undermined by the media reporting various government scandals.

"So when you demolish a system, you have a big problem in setting up a new one," Lee was quoted as saying.

"So think carefully before you bring down the prestige of the government and the authority of the prime minister and his Cabinet," he warned, referring to Singapore's own leadership.