Military to support Megawati, Winters says

SEMARANG (JP): Political observer Jeffrey Winters expressed his optimism on Tuesday that the Indonesian Military (TNI) would eventually support, and thus ensure, Megawati Soekarnoputri for the next presidency.

The associate professor from Northwestern University in Illinois said at a seminar here that the principles of democracy dictated the winner of a general election holds the office. He was confident that the military, which in the past was a staunch supporter of Golkar in perpetrating the power of former president Soeharto, now had progressive views.

"I am optimistic that Megawati will receive (the military's) support. And if they really support her, it means (the military) now has a progressive view," Winters said.

Megawati Soekarnoputri is the chairwoman and sole presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), which won first place in the June poll with 33.74 percent of the vote and holds 154 seats in the House of Representatives (DPR).

However, Winters warned that Indonesia had "specific political characteristics" and the political elite may disagree with the majority choice in the last poll.

"So to get a hold of power may become PDI Perjuangan's main obstacle," Winters said.

Those in the "political elite must realize that the winning party has to be given a chance to lead the country... as Megawati deserves to be the next president," Winters explained.

Another speaker at the seminar, Wimar Witoelar, pointed out that Golkar's candidate, the incumbent President B.J. Habibie, also stood a great chance at winning the coming presidential election despite being currently bogged down by the Bank Bali interbank debt scandal, which implicates him and his aides.

Wimar speculated that the next People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), which includes the Interest Group faction and regional representatives, was susceptible to "money politics" and may end up supporting Habibie.

"Any leeway existing in the body may benefit Habibie," he said.

Winters also spoke in his speech about how the Bank Bali scandal was clearly about power holders manipulating forces for certain political interests.

"This scandal is confusing to all of us. Too many people are involved," he said, pointing out how past cases of financial scandals were never solved completely.

"This will also be another long drawn-out game with no results and no investigations," Winters predicted.

Bank Bali paid PT Era Giat Prima, a private company owned by Setya Novanto, a "commission" of Rp 546 billion to help it recover loans worth Rp 904 billion from closed banks.

Newspapers have accused Golkar of benefiting from the money. Critical remarks directed at Habibie from Golkar deputy chairman Marzuki Darusman have led to an open split in the ruling party with Habibie's loyalists waging a campaign to unseat chairman Akbar Tandjung and purge Marzuki.

Among the most prominent of Habibie's loyalists was A.A. Baramuli, who is also chairman of the Supreme Advisory Council (DPA). Akbar said a meeting held on Sunday between Habibie, Akbar, Marzuki, Baramuli and other Golkar leaders resolved the internal rift.

On Tuesday, however, Baramuli's brother Edy, who is also deputy chairman of the South Sulawesi chapter of Golkar, said in Ujungpandang he and other Golkar leaders from eastern Indonesia would continue with their demand for an extraordinary congress.

The dissenters wanted to hold the congress in order to expel Marzuki and deliver a vote of no-confidence against Akbar.

"On behalf of the 12 Golkar chapters in eastern Indonesia, we maintain our demand that chairman Akbar Tandjung immediately call an extraordinary congress to ask why Marzuki wanted to annul Habibie's presidential nomination," Edy Baramuli told the media on Tuesday.

"We are warning Akbar and Marzuki against launching maneuvers which create the public impression that Golkar would lose if it continues to support Habibie," Edy said.

In Yogyakarta, political observer Samsu Rizal Panggabean said open conflicts in Golkar were not worse than those that took place in the past but went undetected by the media. Besides, he said, the split was a consequence of Golkar's efforts to free itself from the shadows of Soeharto or even Habibie.

"Golkar should be ready to face fissures. That's okay... it happens to other parties," he said. (27/44/edt/har/swe)