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Indonesians may dump Megawati in election
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-05 09:42 Voting is under way in Indonesia's first direct
presidential election as opinion polls indicate broad dissatisfaction with the
incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri.
While the poll is another step forward for Indonesia's young democracy, voter
surveys show Megawati trailing her former security minister -- the
poetry-writing, guitar-playing ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Former Indonesia
strongman and President for 32 years, Suharto, casts his ballot Monday,
July 5, 2004, in Jakarta. It is the first time in history that Indonesians
vote directly for President. [AP] | "Indonesians
feel very let down by Megawati. The image that she was cared for the common
people fell apart during her presidency," said Daniel Sparingga, a political
analyst from Airlangga University, according to The Associated Press.
"Many just want her replaced by a more approachable leader who can fix the
country's problems."
More than 150 million Indonesians have registered to vote and a high turnout
is expected.
Five candidates are running for president and polls have Yudhoyono leading
with around 40 percent compared to Megawati's 15 percent. A further fifth of the
electorate is undecided.
Should Yudhoyono top 50 percent of the vote, no runoff election will be
needed.
But a second round is widely expected and would take place in September.That
means the next government would assume office a month later.
Though terrorism has not been a big issue in campaigning, a win for Yudhoyono
is likely to reinforce the crackdown on terrorism.
Yudhoyono's decisive response to the October 12, 2002 bombings in Bali led to
hundreds of arrest and dozens of convictions.
Three Islamic extremists were sentenced to death for their role in the terror
attack, which killed more than 200 people.
Analysts say voters are angry Megawati has failed to follow up on her early
economic successes and clean up the corruption that plagues daily life in
Indonesia.
Also in the election mix is former army chief Wiranto who has promised to get
tough on terror, reform the country's legal system and to boost business.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri
casts her vote in Jakarta July 5, 2004. Indonesians began voting in the
country's first direct presidential election on Monday.
[Reuters] | Wiranto is
backed by the Golkar Party, which won parliamentary elections in April. But his
human rights record is set to hamper election hopes.
He has been indicted in East Timor for alleged human rights violations in the
period surrounding the tiny territory's break from Indonesia in 1999.
The other candidates are Amien Rais who has positioned himself as the only
true reformer of the five presidential contenders.
Among his campaign pledges are a crack down on smuggling and corruption, a
reduction in the country's dependence on imported goods and more help for small
businesses.
The fifth runner is Hamzah Haz who has polled almost no support and
campaigned on an Islamist platform with promises to establish houses of worship
in all schools and public facilities, encourage media to carry more Islamic
news, and increase spending on heath and education.
But the candidate most likely remains Yudhoyono despite him not laying out
any specifics about how he would improve living standards and ease unemployment,
which exceeds 20 percent.
Still, the soft-spoken 54-year old is widely perceived as a politician with a
common touch and the clout to deliver badly needed reforms.
A defeat for Megawati, the fourth civilian president could be the coup de
grace to the age of dynastic politics in Indonesia, where simply having
"Sukarno" in your name was a certain vote-getter.
But it won't mean a revolution, analysts say, because all the presidential
contenders represent the same political, business and military elites who
support evolutionary reforms.
This presidential election, coming six years after President Suharto's
32-year dictatorship was overthrown, is the first by universal suffrage.
Previous presidents were elected by lawmakers -- a system widely abused by
Suharto.
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