Megawati in secret deal with Golkar over power carve-up
By LINDSAY MURDOCH, Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
Indonesia's opposition leader, Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri, has struck a secret
deal to secure the presidency that would split the Golkar party of the
floundering incumbent, Dr B.J. Habibie.
Under the deal Golkar's chairman, Mr Akbar Tandjung, would serve as Ms
Megawati's vice-president with a "full mandate to run everything" in return
for supporting her presidential bid next week.
A source close to Ms Megawati yesterday confirmed the deal had been struck
two weeks ago at a meeting at which more than 75 Golkar MPs promised in
signed statements they were prepared to desert Dr Habibie at the last
minute.
Ms Megawati's presidency would be largely symbolic, with immense power
remaining with Golkar, the party that backed the disgraced former president
Soeharto for 32 years.
Golkar this week re-endorsed Dr Habibie as its candidate when the 700-seat
People's Consultative Assembly, or MPR, meets next Wednesday to choose the
next president.
But party delegates also gave Mr Tandjung or other members of Golkar's board
the authority to dump the unpopular Dr Habibie and nominate another
candidate if the MPR votes to reject an accountability speech he was due to
make last night. The speech will be debated by MPs today and tomorrow.
Ms Megawati's party, which won the June parliamentary election, and the
party of the third presidential contender, Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, have
already said they expect to reject the speech, the last hurdle in Dr
Habibie's faltering re-election bid.
Dr Habibie's credibility has been badly damaged by a banking scandal, East
Timor, and failure to prosecute Soeharto over graft during his 32-year rule.
(A Jakarta court yesterday also acquitted Soeharto's youngest son, "Tommy"
Mandala Putra, of all charges in a corruption trial relating to a land
deal.)
Dr Habibie's speech was expected to highlight economic achievements during
his 512 days as President, including success in boosting the rupiah's
exchange rate, bringing down inflation and interest rates, opening rice
procurement, passing a banking law and scrapping some monopolies.
Mr Tandjung, 54, is an experienced political operator, having served for 10
years in successive Soeharto cabinets.
A recent convert to democratisation and one of the key reformists in Golkar,
Mr Tandjung was last week elected to the powerful post of parliamentary
speaker.
Analysts say many Golkar MPs might back a Megawati-Tandjung ticket rather
than risk losing power altogether. But they add Dr Habibie's ability to
attract votes should not be underestimated, as he is believed to have access
to millions of dollars to bribe MPs.
Dr Habibie has already nominated as his running mate the head of the armed
forces, General Wiranto, who controls a crucial 38 military-appointed seats.
General Wiranto would be deeply unhappy about Ms Megawati winning the
presidency without a political role for the armed forces leadership.
Yesterday demonstrators demanding Dr Habibie step down clashed with security
forces near parliament.
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