Support for Megawati

Support for Megawati Soekarnoputri as the legitimate successor to the President, should the position become vacant, has been snowballing in the last few days. An agreement involving leading representatives of six political parties was reached on March 2 in Jakarta. This is an important development and promises a smooth take-over. Earlier, there were voices which suggested the selection of a "dark horse."

However there still remains a very important factor to be agreed on. That is the work program of a Megawati administration, which logically would take the form of a coalition.

The weakest point of the Abdurrahman Wahid government was that it begun with a coalition, but without an agreed policy among the partners involved.

Gus Dur himself gave some general ideas on what to do, but left it to respective ministers, most of them inexperienced, to carry out their assignments through trial and error.

To avoid similar confusion Megawati should delegate to her trusted aides the task of negotiating with representatives of the five other parties to draw up an complete policy acceptable to all supporters.

The program must place priority on an emergency plan designed to crack down on corruption and to restore domestic and international respect.

The new administration must be given sufficient time, but a sense of a "mega-crisis" must prevail. Without stamping out corruption, no economic policy, however good, would produce the desired results.

Megawati should be given a free hand to select the right man for the right job, keeping in mind that she is the coordinator of a coalition anxious to proceed with the long awaited reforms.

I think she does not need much advice. The last 17 months have been enough of a schooling for her to know what to do and what to avoid.

But I do think she must learn from former U.S. president Ronald Reagan, who was dubbed "the great communicator." She has been seen as the leader who does not like to talk, and now must communicate a lot with the people and those of other political parties.

H. ARIFIN BEY

Tangerang, West Java