Stunning speech

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