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)