Will a new Megawati hold the reins?

Susanto Pudjomartono, Editor-at-Large, The Jakarta Post

A number of editors were invited to join President Megawati Soekarnoputri's entourage on her visit to the United States and Japan from Sept. 14 through Sept. 30. The following is a report and the conclusion of The Jakarta Post's editor-at-large.

Beaming broadly, President Megawati Soekarnoputri disembarked Sunday last week from the Garuda plane that brought her back from the United States and Japan after a two-week visit. Few would notice, or guess, that it was a different Megawati who returned home from overseas.

The change is slight, and more inside than out, but it is palpable and any keen observer can notice it: Megawati now has much more self-confidence than before. Apparently, the meeting with the world's most powerful leaders like President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Yunichiro Koizumi, and the satisfaction of a successful trip, has improved her self-esteem.

The change is there to see. She is not only more confident, but also more skillful. For example, during her meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House on Sept. 19, Megawati was at first slightly tense, but was visibly more at ease after she deftly side-stepped a question from a White House reporter who queried her on Vice President Hamzah Haz's comments on the Sept. 11 attacks which differed from the Indonesian government official line.

"What stands is my previous statement," Megawati said. "We condemn terrorism. I'm the President of the Republic of Indonesia". This simple "I'm in command" statement stopped further queries.

But the turning point occurred on the evening of Sept. 19 during a gala dinner at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington. The dinner was organized jointly by the U.S.-Indonesia Society, the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, the American Chamber of Commerce and the American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

Some 400 guests, including U.S. congressmen, businesspeople, academics and "friends of Indonesia" attended the dinner. Despite suggestions from her staff, President Megawati insisted on delivering her speech in English.

And what a speech she delivered.

Her first opening remarks, about her initial hesitancy to continue her planned trip to U.S. because of the Sept. 11 attacks, and her decision to continue with the visit for, among other reasons, to share Americans' grief and to mourn the tragedy that befell a friend, drew a long ovation from the guests.

Suddenly the ice melted. Minutes later all eyes were on her lips, waiting for her next words. And she lived up to their expectations. To thunderous approval, she quoted Jefferson and Lincoln, explained the situation in Indonesia, the shortcomings and the problems, in a dignified manner, without ever uttering the word "beg".

She said that the two countries, Indonesia and the U.S., needed each other, a kind of symbiosis, and both shared the same dream: To build and live in democracy and equality, and to pursue happiness.

The response was overwhelming. Former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia Edward Masters may have rightly summed up the feeling in the audience when he said in his speech, "Madam President, after hearing your excellent speech, from now on no one will ever underestimate you again."

The most possible reasons for the warm response is because it hit squarely on the current American psyche after the Sept. 11 attacks. Its strength also lay in Megawati's simple, direct and down-to-earth approach. The fact that Megawati was almost close to tears when she concluded her remarks, which did not go unnoticed by the audience, and affected some of the women, added to the guests' mood on that evening.

The speech obviously boosted President Megawati's morale and self-confidence. Thus, it is a pity that it was the only inspiring public speech that she delivered to an international audience during her trip. Others were mostly a repetition of the Sept. 19 speech but with less fire and effect.

Her speech in the acceptance of a honorary doctorate from Waseda University, Japan, on Sept. 29 was even poorly prepared, revealing the fact that some serious steps should be immediately taken to address the problem: How to build a strong and capable staff to improve the quality of official presidential speeches.

The question now is, will this new confidence affect President Megawati's future style of governing? She is known for her consistency in upholding her principles, but how firm can she be? Will she show more "I'm in command" decisions?

The public has every right to expect the President to be more firm in dealing with certain issues, even sensitive ones, like that relating to the jihad or the planned "sweeps" against foreigners by some zealous organizations. Given the increasingly messy situation, especially in law and order, some strong steps should be taken to solve it.

One should not forget that the anti-Megawati feeling is still too strong to be ignored. Any soft spot on Megawati's side would certainly be capitalized upon to undermine her power and legitimacy.

And there is every reason to be worried. Of late, some high- ranking officials have openly complained that the government often shows indecisiveness, hesitancy and a tendency to waver when dealing with certain issues, a remark indirectly targeted at Megawati.

Surely, this issue must be addressed immediately. Hopefully President Megawati's improved self-confidence will help her show strong leadership -- which, especially now, is in dire need by the nation.