VP successor talks premature, says Megawati

VP successor talks premature, says Megawati

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri brushed
aside on Wednesday the discourse on her possible successor should
she take over the presidency from Abdurrahman Wahid, calling it
premature.

Chairman of the interest group faction at the People's
Consultative Assembly Faisal Tamin said, after a meeting with
Megawati at her office, the Vice President was reluctant to talk
about the matter.

"The cake has not even been put in the oven, so why are we
discussing how to cut it. We don't even have the eggs to bake the
cake yet," Faisal quoted Megawati as saying.

Megawati, who is also chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), will, according to the
Constitution, become president if the People's Consultative
Assembly impeaches Abdurrahman in its special session scheduled
to begin on Aug. 1.

Major political parties have openly supported her for the top
job, with some of them even campaigning for the vice presidential
post.

Reportedly, PDI Perjuangan would either like former
coordinating minister for political, social and security affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to fill the vice presidential post
or keep the position vacant.

However, several Muslim-based parties have nominated United
Development Party (PPP) chairman Hamzah Haz for the vice
presidency.

Separately, Susilo refused to comment on the possibility of
him filling Megawati's shoes, saying it was not appropriate to
talk about the matter as Abdurrahman and Megawati are still the
President and Vice President respectively.

"It is unethical to say anything now because we still have the
President and Vice President. In my opinion it is better not to
blow up this issue," Susilo said after meeting with members of
the Supreme Advisory Council on Wednesday.

The former minister underlined that the Assembly special
session is the right forum to discuss the mechanism of electing
the next vice president.

In a related development, Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung
said his party would not contest for the vice presidential post
if Megawati was appointed president. The party, however, he
added, agreed the post should not be left vacant.

Akbar refused to speculate on possible candidates for the vice
presidency, saying it was to soon to talk about it.

In the meeting with the interest group faction, Megawati
confirmed PDI Perjuangan's stance of rejecting any compromise in
response to the President's accountability for his 20-month rule
at the special session.

"PDI Perjuangan will either accept or reject the President's
accountability speech. There will be no compromise," Megawati
said as quoted by Faisal Tamin after the meeting.

Megawati also emphasized that the special session would begin
on Aug. 1 as scheduled as there were no reasons to accelerate the
session so far.

Abdurrahman has named four of his aides to seek compromise
with leaders of major political parties. He boasted recently that
the parties had agreed to drop their call on him to account for
his rule, a claim which was immediately denied by his political
foes. (dja)