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| Politics: The New President |
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The first female President of Indonesia, 54 year-old Megawati Sukarnoputri comes to
the Indonesian presidency with a tremendous popular mandate. Over the past few
decades, she has built a reputation as the “voice of the people,” based
on the legacy of her father, Sukarno, Indonesia’s founding president,
and her resistance to the Suharto dictatorship.
Born in 1947, Megawati is Sukarno’s second child. Her full given name is
Dyah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri, meaning “lady of the
cloud.” She grew up in the presidential palace until the age of 19, when
her father was deposed by Suharto. She attended university but never
completed her degree. In 1973, she married her third husband, Taufik
Kiemas, a businessman who had spent three years in prison for his ardent
support of Sukarno.
Megawati was a self-styled housewife, and raised three children before
she entered politics in 1987. At that time, she was asked to join the
Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI), one of the few opposition parties
permitted under Suharto. She and her husband both won seats in the
legislature. By 1993, she had attained the leadership of the PDI, and
despite her lack of experience in the national arena, she quickly
attracted widespread grassroots support. Her reputation was bolstered
by the legacy of her father, who remained a national hero in the eyes of
many Indonesians. She portrayed herself as a politician free from
corruption and possessing a personal moral authority.
Megawati's political rise was accelerated in 1996 when then-President Suharto,
believing her to be a threat, engineered her forced removal from the PDI
leadership. Suharto's attack on her party’s headquarters killed at least
five people and provoked major riots in Jakarta. The attempt to dispose of
Megawati backfired on Suharto, as the event catapulted Megawati into the
limelight as a symbol of resistance to Suharto's regime. Although PDI was banned from the general elections of May 1997,
Megawati went on to create a new party, PDI-Perjuangan, meaning
"Struggle."
In the country’s first democratic election of 1999, Megawati was
considered by many to be the candidate most likely to become president.
She campaigned on a ticket of anti-corruption and unity and despite her
elite background, she managed to symbolize an end to KKN – Korupsi,
Kolusi, Nepotisme (Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism). Her party was
supported across the religious spectrum and in military circles and she
won 33% of the vote, more than any other competitor. But her refusal to
assemble a coalition to attain majority in the legislature led to her
losing the presidency to Abdurahman Wahid.
Wahid, however, was a longtime friend of Megawati’s and the two were known to have referred to each other as brother and sister. In a move seen as a political compromise, she was sworn in as Wahid's Vice-President the day after he was elected President. Her election to the Vice-Presidency was expected to quell the violence that broke out among her supporters when she failed to gain the presidency.
As Vice-President, Megawati was considered by many to be a “President in Waiting”. She surrounded herself with top advisors but was criticized for not participating in decision-making. In particular, she was largely unable to resolve the conflict between Muslims and Christians in Maluku, the main task given to her by Wahid.
As Indonesians became disillusioned with Wahid’s administration, Megawati grew increasingly frustrated with his weakening presidency and their relationship deteriorated. Rumors also circulated that Wahid had made derisive remarks about the Vice-President. In a move to offer Megawati an olive branch, Wahid transferred responsibility for day-to-day technical aspects of the government to her in August 2000.
Megawati took a backseat while others called for Wahid’s impeachment, keeping her distance from Wahid. She remained quiet when he sacked key ministers without her consultation and while he made continual threats to impose a state of emergency. When his impeachment became a possibility, Megawati’s political rivalry with Wahid was revived. On July 23, 2001, the People’s Consultative Assembly voted to impeach President Wahid and officially elected Megawati Indonesia’s new President. She had won the overwhelming support of the 700-member Assembly, with help from a coalition of Golkar and the nationalist faction in the military.
Megawati takes the reins of power with the economy faltering and the nation beset with religious and separatist violence and tensions. She will face many challenges and analysts are divided over how she will handle them. Some critics question her ability to govern, pointing to the fact that she was largely inactive as Vice-President. She is known to be quiet and reserved but supporters say that she makes decisions slowly and carefully. She has not been forthcoming about her future policies as President, leaving many to wonder what they might be. While she stands as a symbol of reform, her views are in line with nationalist sentiments and she has spoken out against an emerging policy of regional autonomy.
Megawati comes to power with the support of the Indonesian people. In particular, her “maternal” approach to politics has appealed to many Indonesians. Many of her supporters call her “Mother of the Nation” or “Mother Mega” and believe she will restore Indonesia’s lost pride. Her struggle against former President Suharto has appealed to the country’s impoverished masses and has made her a symbol of defiance against oppression and authoritarian rule. Megawati's detractors, however, complain that her elite background precludes her from being able to represent the will of the people.
Many Indonesians hope that Megawati's presidency will bring a degree of stability after the chaotic times under Wahid. But many observers fear that her close military ties and her essentially conservative positions could result in a government clamp-down and the revocation of recently won liberties. Analysts expect her to allow the military more leeway to crush separatist movements; in any event her administration is not expected to call the military to account for past abuses.
-- For further information on Megawati, please see the Facts & Figures section. ---
-- To discuss Megawati's new presidency, please go to the Forum Area ---
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