Stunning speech

I'm not a follower of Megawati. In fact, I used to think that Megawati, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), was too quiet. A leader should be more outspoken. Her July 29 speech, however, has changed my impression about her shyness and lack of confidence.

Her speech was superb. It was touching and most impressive. She deserves an A-plus for her speech. Megawati appeared full of confidence. She was expressive and compassionate, with her emotions flowing naturally.

She looked upset and angry when referring to injustices. And broke into tears when talking about the long suffering endured by the people in Aceh. On the other hand, she had to unavoidably smile shyly when she wasn't sure how to pronounce "Rio de Janeiro" correctly.

I believe that many people were stunned by her speech and her appearance at the time. Supposing Megawati's appearance was in an American presidential-style debate, such as the Clinton-Bush debate before Clinton's first term in 1992, I'm sure that Megawati would have had won the highest ratings. Like President Clinton at the time, Megawati would have won people's hearts with her charm.

Besides that, however, Megawati has got some other strong points in herself -- her consistence, patience and dedication to people.

And last but not least, her simplicity and honesty. Well done, Megawati!

JENNY LAURITZ

Jakarta