Megawati will never be queen

I read with interest Mr. Huub Neys' letter regarding his support for Megawati Soekarnoputri's bid to be the next president of Indonesia (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 28, 1999). Certainly, what he has written is right. Although, in my opinion there are better candidates for the job, she is the people's choice and this fact should be taken into consideration.

However, it is strange that Mr. Neys should compare Megawati to the queen of the Netherlands. The political system of Indonesia is very different from that of Holland. Megawati is not running for the position of queen as a uniting agent, but for the position of president: someone who should actually run the country. Therefore, Mr. Neys' comparison of Megawati to his queen is invalid.

In any case, I think that the intellectual writers that Mr. Neys refers to should be free to express their opinions; they should also be able to criticize Megawati when or if she does become president. As president, Megawati should not be treated as queen. After all, we are trying to build a democratic republic and not a monarchy.

If Mr. Neys were not so patronizing in his letter, perhaps the intellectual writers that he wishes to address might be more inclined to listen to what he has to say. I certainly do not think that all intellectual writers should only voice the aspirations of the people. Who has the right to determine what the voice of the people is, anyway? Remember what happened during the Old and New Orders?

AMIR SIDHARTA

Jakarta