Megawati's nomination 'up to the people'

Megawati's nomination 'up to the people'

JAKARTA (JP): Aides to Megawati Soekarnoputri said her
willingness to run for the presidency was not a mere political
show and it is the people who now have to decide whether they
would like to see her nominated as the next president.

Kwik Kian Gie, a Megawati loyalist who chairs her research and
development center, said yesterday that the ball was no longer in
Megawati's court.

"It's not up to members of the People's Consultative Assembly
(MPR), who are supposed to represent the people, or the general
public, to decide whether they want to follow up Megawati's
presidential nomination," he told journalists at Megawati's
residence in Kebagusan, South Jakarta.

Megawati, ousted leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party and
daughter of the country's first president Sukarno, declared
Saturday her readiness to become a presidential candidate and
urged incumbent President Soeharto not to run for a seventh
consecutive term.

She said she would be willing to be nominated since no other
candidate was bold enough to announce their candidacy.

While there has been some qualified support and even
admiration of her intention, many observers remain skeptical
about whether she can really have an impact on the presidential
election process.

But Kwik said yesterday that Megawati's nomination was not
mere rhetoric.

"It's not entirely impossible as people are already talking
about it," he said, adding that expressions of support have
poured in from individuals and foreign diplomats.

"We have permanent contact with the U.S. government, through
its embassy here, as well as regular contact with the U.S.
Congress and Senate," he said.

Kwik's deputy, Mochtar Buchori, said Megawati's seriousness in
being nominated was evident by her initiative in establishing a
"shadow cabinet".

"She already has a broad picture of her cabinet if she is
elected," Mochtar said.

Former minister of home affairs, Rudini, acknowledged
Megawati's nomination announcement, but suggested she examine
whether she had any real support in the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR).

Rudini has been named as one of the most capable people to
fill the top state executive post. Megawati herself said Rudini
was often lauded as a possible candidate.

Rudini, chairman of an informal military think tank, the
Institute for Strategic Studies of Indonesia (LPSI), said he was
not personally adverse to being nominated.

But he said it would be unethical since the Golkar faction, of
which he is a member, had already declared its intention to
renominate Soeharto.

"I'd feel uneasy if I had to nominate myself while the Golkar
executive board renominated President Soeharto for another five-
year term," he said.

Ripple

Rudini believes Megawati's nomination would cause a ripple in
the existing mechanism for presidential election.

"With the MPR being dominated by Golkar, it is not realistic
to join the presidential race if we know we won't win," he said.
"It's more realistic if she joins the vice presidential race, as
this is the only race which is still open for her."

Brushing aside the impact that she might have, Rudini said
Megawati's nomination amounted to no more than a political appeal
that it is not wrong to name several candidates other than
incumbent president Soeharto for the presidency.

The leader of the 30 million-strong Moslem organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Abdurrahman Wahid, said the government
should respond to Megawati's bid with wisdom as it is intended as
a critique toward improving the state of democracy in the
country.

Abdurrahman, popularly known as Gus Dur, said despite her slim
chances, Megawati had succeeded in breaking a political taboo of
not nominating oneself for the presidency.

"The problem is not whether President Soeharto should step
down or not, but how idealism is articulated as frequently as
possible so that it materializes and develops into real
politics," Abdurrahman said during a breaking of the fast
gathering at NU's office here yesterday.

Abdurrahman said he does not expect immediate political change
following Megawati's statement. He also does not place much hope
in factions in the People's Consultative Assembly supporting
Megawati.

"The most important thing is we have to maintain the tradition
of making a fair assessment of the situation and take a brave
stance in response to it," he said.

Each of the five factions will unveil its presidential
candidate on March 8. The election of the president will be
conducted by the 1,000 Assembly members on March 10.

Abdurrahman said the government would pay dearly if it
maintained its obsolete, heavy-handed measures against Megawati.

"The brave heart Megawati has shown represents the people's
courage. It is now escalating," he said.

Meanwhile, an alliance of 16 prominent student groups and NGOs
called on the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) yesterday not
to renominate the incumbent President Soeharto for the
presidency.

In a petition handed over to Kafrawi Ridwan, a member of the
dominant Golkar faction's executive board at the Assembly, the
alliance said Soeharto's "physical condition and age no longer
enable him to lead the nation".

"The MPR must organize an open, competitive, and democratic
(presidential) succession process, while keeping the nation from
falling into a situation that can tear it apart," they said in
their petition which fell short of naming a presidential
candidate of their own. (imn/amd/aan)