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.