Megawati's last stand came too late

Megawati's last stand came too late

In the last 10 months of her presidency, Megawati Soekarnoputri tried to do the impossible: make up for the disappointment of her first 28 months in office.

Megawati went to great lengths to win reelection and retain her presidency with shows of affections toward the wong cilik, or little people, and by pushing for a series of popular policies. In the end, however, she found that 10 months of affection cannot make up for 28 months of disappointment.

She opened 2004 with the breakthrough policy of finalizing the social security law, which provides free health services for poor people across the country.