Over half of Indonesians satisfied with Megawati

Over half of Indonesians satisfied with Megawati

Over half of Indonesians in a survey released Friday said they were satisfied with President Megawati Sukarnoputri's performance, but they added they have little faith in the government.

The survey -- by the market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres with the Indonesian legislature and International Foundation for Election Systems -- also found that only a minority of the 3,580 people polled felt that their level of prosperity had improved from a year ago or that the country was more secure.

"What is happening is that the institutions of government and the person in the presidency are popular," said Alan Wall, the Indonesian project manager for the International Foundation for Election Systems.

"But there is still a large core group of people who are not satisfied with the direction the government is taking the country."

Indonesia has suffered through economic hardship and political instability since the economy collapsed in 1997, which sparked riots that led to the downfall of ex-dictator Soeharto in 1998.

Since then, religious violence, corruption and a raft of other problems have hampered its recovery.

But many analysts say Megawati has been a stabilizing influence since she became president 10 months ago, replacing the erratic former president Abdurrahman Wahid.

Those polled seemed to agree, with 53 percent saying they were satisfied with her leadership.

Still, 62 percent said they were not happy with the government. Meanwhile, 67 percent said their economic prosperity had not changed from a year ago and 59 percent said they didn't feel any more secure.

Most of those polled said they were most concerned with the country's "poor economic conditions," adding they were worried about the cost of basic goods and the difficulties of finding a job. -- AP