Indonesia: On The Eve Of The Election Opposition Leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, Predicts Her Party Will Win The Most Votes

Record ID: 4079

  • Title: Indonesia: On The Eve Of The Election Opposition Leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, Predicts Her Party Will Win The Most Votes
  • Date: 3rd June 1999
  • Summary: On the eve of Indonesia's historic election, top opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri, claiming overwhelming public support, has predicted her party, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), will win the most votes. Relaxed but combative, the daughter of Indonesia's charismatic founding father Sukarno said in an interview on June 5 that in the absence of electoral fraud, her Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) would win at least 40 percent of votes in the first truly democratic parliamentary ballot since 1955. "In my opinion, I think we will get at the minimum 40 percent of the total votes - that is if the election is honest and just. " Megawati added that it was too early to talk about coalition governments even though none of the 48 parties contesting the poll is expected to win a majority. The party that wins most votes is expected to have the inside running to choose a president in November to replace the widely disliked B. J. Habibie, a protg of former strongman Suharto. Megawati bristled when asked if being a woman would prevent her leading the world's most populous Moslem country. Influential Moslem leader Abdurrahman Wahid has said Megawati would have to contend with conservatives who oppose such an idea. "Why do you ask a question like that? For me it's the aspirations of the people that matter, it has nothing to do with a person's physical nature. The people will choose a leader who they trust and who can lead them. " Some analysts, their eye on a Megawati presidency, have also questioned her ability to lead Indonesia out of crisis and calm separatist tendencies in far-flung corners of the archipelago. Indeed, since Suharto was driven from office in disgrace last year Megawati has said little about her vision for the world's fourth most populous nation as it heads into the 21st century. But Megawati scoffed at the criticism, saying the most important criteria was that Indonesia's 200 million people trusted their leader and that the president had a good team. The popularity of the Sukarno name and the expectation that Megawati will stick up for the "orang kecil", or little people, has roused hundreds of thousands of faithful, filling streets, stadiums and fields with a sea of red -- the colour of her party. Megawati repeatedly said the key problem with Indonesia -- whether for the country's masses or foreign investors -- was a lack of confidence in the current government. Megawati alluded to problems if the election was not free and fair, but she did not elaborate.
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords:
  • Access Restrictions:This media cannot be downloaded as there may be copyright restrictions. Please contact us for more information
  • Location: INDONESIA DJAKARTA JAKARTA
  • Reuters ID: LDL0012B5FSPR
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text:
  • Copyright Holder: Reuters Archive
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
Register