President ashamed of Indonesia's performance at SEA games
President ashamed of Indonesia's performance at SEA games
Agencies Jakarta
President Megawati Soekarnoputri has said she felt ashamed after Indonesia finished behind Vietnam and Thailand in the medal count last week for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
"They say my country is very, very big, so how come in sports we are defeated and only came in third place (at the SEA Games)?" she was quoted as saying by Antara news agency during a meeting with the Indonesian community in Islamabad on Sunday.
"Aren't we ashamed? I am ashamed, but what can we say? Of course we are embarrassed," Megawati said in the meeting, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda, Trade and Industry Minister Rini MS Soewandi and Indonesian Ambassador for Pakistan, Anwar Santoso.
Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, was also among the audience members, in his capacity as a member of the House of Representatives Commission I. Taufik was accompanied by other members such as Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita and Djuhana Suwarna.
Megawati, who is in Pakistan for a state visit, said Indonesians lacked "the will" and the pride to strive.
"Our nation is lacking the will to drive itself and has no national pride," she said.
However, later, the President requested that all the nation's people do their best for the country.
"Are you with me?" she asked her audience, but only a few responded.
"See, even to answer a simple question, we're lacking in spirit," she said. Only after repeating her question a couple times did the reluctant audience answer her louder.
She also reminded her fellow Indonesians not to mock others. "A raised voice is used only when (we) mock or condemn others. Let's do some self-introspection," she said.
In October she ticked off her "lazy" compatriots for failing to keep their environment clean and told them to learn from the Japanese.
During the SEA Games, Taufik visited and supported Indonesian athletes striving for gold medals in Hanoi.
On one occasion, he personally awarded gold medals to Supriati Sutono and Yurita Ariani, who won the women's 5,000m and hammer throw event respectively. He even wiped the tears from Yurita's face. "I am proud to see their competitive spirit," Taufik said at the time, as quoted by Koran Tempo.
Separately, Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) chairman Agum Gumelar said that the athletes' performance in Vietnam was better compared with that in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games and was really something to be proud of.
"Considering that 70 percent of the athletes were around 17 to 18 years of age, what they have achieved is really something to be proud of," said Agum, who is also the minister of communications, on the sidelines of the inauguration of a double- tracked section of railway line in Brambanan, Klaten, Central Java, on Monday.