Megawati's speech comes under scrutiny

Megawati's speech comes under scrutiny

JAKARTA (JP): Observers and rivals alike responded on Friday
to Megawati Soekarnoputri's speech in which she asserted her
right to national leadership and gave views on problems facing
the country.

Praises came from prominent politicians including Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja, Matori Abdul Djalil, who is a follower of
Megawati's mentor Abdurrahman Wahid, Hayono Isman and Faisal
Basri.

"Her speech answers people's doubts about her commitment to
reform," Matori said.

"She is the only suitable presidential candidate," said
Hayono, who jumped ship from Golkar and helped form the Justice
and Unity Party (PKP).

Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung said Megawati's speech showed
her party's platform was similar to Golkar's, and expressed hope
that a more intensive cooperation between the two could be
forged.

The Indonesian Military (TNI), however, held back. Chief of
Territorial Affairs Lt. Gen. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the
military would first carefully study the speech before passing
any judgment.

Criticism also abounded, however, and poured in from various
quarters, including from Muslims who could not be appeased by her
promise to serve the community. Muslims have protested her
party's move of selecting non-Muslims for at least 60 percent of
her legislative candidates.

Political expert Dewi Fortuna Anwar, an aide to President B.J.
Habibie, identified Megawati's stance on East Timor as "the
weakest point" in her entire speech. "Megawati was more
conservative (on the issue) compared to other reform figures,"
Dewi told Antara.

Megawati criticized Habibie's decision to offer East Timor a
chance next month to choose between staying part of Indonesia
with a wide-ranging autonomy, or be an independent state.
Megawati said Habibie's decision was in contempt of the 1978
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) decree which stipulates East
Timor as Indonesia's 27th province.

Dewi pointed out that the international community still
considered East Timor's integration as an unilateral action on
the part of Indonesia, even an annexation, which has led to
widespread condemnation.

"Out of a spirit for reform and human rights protection,
(Habibie) wishes to... correct the shortcomings of the previous
administration, hence the planned self-determination vote," she
said, adding that the MPR would still be the party to grant the
final seal on the matter.

If the East Timorese chose to be part of Indonesia, the decree
would remain; otherwise, the decree would then be revoked, she
said.

Political scientist Ichlasul Amal of Gadjah Mada University
described Megawati's speech as "vague" and showed her failure to
draw a line between the party's platform and personal views.

In addition, he said, her stated willingness to amend the 1945
Constitution was tinged with hesitance, possibly due to the fact
that her late father, Sukarno, helped establish the document.

"Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) is
uncertain whether an amendment would adversely affect its
(political) future as this issue is a political move," Amal said.

Prominent women activists grouped in the Indonesian Women
Coalition and led by human rights lawyer Nursyahbani
Katjasungkana blasted Megawati for failing to touch on the need
to promote protection for women. In a statement made available on
Friday, the group said Megawati should have been more forceful to
make a political move to stop violence, including that which was
perpetrated against women in Aceh, Irian Jaya and Maluku.

"She should have made those moves rather than ask the Acehnese
and all the victims of violence to be patient until after she was
elected Cut Nya' (the Acehnese term for female leader),"
Nursyahbani said.

During her speech, Megawati broke down in tears saying she
would do her best to stop violence in the province where more
than 150 people have been killed in clashes between the military
and suspected rebels since May. "When Cut Nya' leads the country,
I will not let a single drop of blood touch Aceh soil," she said
in a reference to herself.

Islam

The Ministry of Religious Affairs's head of research and
development, Yusnar Yusuf Rangkuti, criticized Megawati for
talking out of turn about haj affairs.

Megawati expressed unhappiness because "confusion in the
management of the haj pilgrimage had caused many people to
cancel".

Yusnar thought Megawati should have first studied the reasons
for what she described as "confusion". He challenged Megawati to
try her hand at haj management if she could guarantee there would
be no more confusion.

Separately, chairman of the Jamiatul Al-Washliyah, KH Aziddin,
pleaded that Megawati not make haj affairs a political issue,
Antara said.

Meanwhile, the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals
(ICMI) reminded Megawati that people would demand she make good
on her promised campaign against violence.

"If she really became president, would that prevent another
drop of blood from spilling?" acting chairman of ICMI, Ahmad
Tirtosudiro, said. (23/swe)