Support for Megawati 'against' establishment
JAKARTA (JP): The call for Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of the minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), to run for president in 1998 is a symbol of her support in Central Java and a sign of growing rejection of the establishment, a political observer says.
Afan Ghaffar of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University said yesterday that the popularity of Megawati is also an "interesting" reflection of the growth of civil society in Indonesia.
"It symbolizes resistance against the establishment. There's nothing more beyond that," Afan said in a telephone interview with The Jakarta Post.
Leaders of seven PDI branches in Central Java this week issued a statement calling on Megawati, who is also the daughter of former president Sukarno, to run for the upcoming presidential election.
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will elect a new president in 1988. The 74-year-old Soeharto will conclude his sixth term of office in two years.
The nomination of Megawati has taken many observers by surprise. If Megawati steps into the ring, she will be the first to challenge President Soeharto, whose reelection is practically a given if he decides to run.
Leaders of the party's branch offices said that Megawati, who was elected PDI chief by a popular vote in 1993 despite the government's attempt to block her, has the qualifications that a future Indonesian president should have, such as modesty, honesty and integrity.
Afan pointed out that everyone, including PDI members, know very well that Megawati's chances to win the election are "almost zero."
"But it (the nomination) is all right. It shows that people are no longer afraid to spell out what they believe in," he said.
According to Afan, who is also a lecturer at the Islamic University of Yogyakarta, Megawati has no qualifications for presidency.
"People sympathize with her because her leadership is undermined everywhere," he said, referring to formation of a rival board by her political foe Yusuf Merukh and the East Java government's rejection of PDI chapter chief Sutjipto, whom she appointed last year.
In Central Java, Afan said, the nationalist-Christian alliance will have a hard time maintaining its vote in the 1997 elections because the provincial government is preparing to ensure a ruling Golkar party victory.
"The governor's campaign to have people paint everything yellow (the color of Golkar) shows that the government is resolute in winning the election at any cost and by all means," he said.
Afan also predicted that Megawati's foes will intensify their fight to dethrone her prior to the 1997 elections. "And this could badly affect the PDI's performance," he said.
Separately, legislator Aberson Marle Sihaloho, known as one of Megawati's ardent supporters, said he expects more PDI branches in other provinces to follow suit.
"Their proposal was genuine, free from any political engineering," the outspoken legislator from the Central Java constituency said.
He said her nomination by the seven party branches was in line with her principle that every leader should be elected directly by the people, not by organizations through some kind of manipulation.
Aberson said the PDI will work to change the presidential electoral system in the future to "one person, one vote" as the constitution requires.
Currently, the president is elected by consensus of the various factions in the MPR. (pan)