Threat to Megawati's legacy
Threat to Megawati's legacy
Regardless of the recent election outcome, Indonesian
President Megawati Soekarnoputri was bound to go down in the
history books as the leader who did more than any other to
consolidate democracy in the country. This would have been a
great accomplishment, and a surprising development for a country
that has only recently emerged from decades of strongman rule
under Soeharto and his Golkar party.
In this year alone, Indonesia saw three of the most
complicated and successful elections taking place anywhere. First
came the April elections, which gave 147 million voters the
chance to choose from 450,000 candidates at national, regional
and local levels. Six hundred million ballot papers were
distributed to 585,000 polling places. The July presidential
election and September runoff involved similar voter numbers and
logistical challenges.
The praise that came Megawatis way for overseeing all of this
was well-deserved, but perhaps a little premature. Her democratic
legacy will be judged as much by the smooth elections as by what
she chooses to do next.
It has been days since the independent electoral commission
declared Megawatis challenger, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the
winner by a margin of 25 million votes. Megawati has all but
conceded defeat, with her latest statements referring neither to
herself nor Susilo, only to the need for respecting poll results.
The lack of an outright admission of defeat will not derail
Susilo's swearing in on Oct.20, but it does mean that he will
become president under a cloud. He is unwilling to make a victory
speech until Ms Megawati concedes. Will a man who will not
declare victory also hesitate to name a cabinet? It is a question
that should not have to be contemplated but does come up so long
as the concession remains unexpressed.
Susilo, having won by a landslide, will come into office with
a mandate to make changes. Now that the independent election
commission has declared him the winner, Megawati gains very
little by delaying. She does, however, jeopardise Susilo's
chances of success in these areas and her legacy at the same
time.
-- South China Morning Post, Hong Kong