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)