Jenny Grant, Jakarta – Opposition figurehead Megawati Sukarnoputri may have nominated herself as a presidential candidate, but she has little chance of success.
What she has done is openly challenge President Suharto and the establishment to address the question of who will succeed him.
In doing so, she has legitimised public discussion of life after Mr Suharto.
The ousted leader of the Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI) announced her intention to run for president in front of 1,000 supporters and the world's media, who packed into her Jakarta home on Saturday.
Juwono Sudarsono, vice-governor of the National Defence Institute, a military think-tank, said: "It's not a serious nomination. It's a good media event rather than a real threat."
But University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit said: "It has heated up Indonesian politics. She may be playing a political game, but she is certainly challenging the elites to find a new president."
Although frail, Mr Suharto, 76, maintains a firm grip on power.
What he cannot avoid, after reading her nomination splashed across the front pages of the nation's dailies, is that her move will fan public hope of a change at the top that has not been expressed for decades.
"I dreamed last week that Suharto was not President any more. Now I feel brave to talk about that in the daylight," said 28- year-old Fidel.
Ms Megawati is the latest dissident to bite back at a regime that has jailed and silenced its opponents.
Imprisoned former parliamentarian Sri Bintang Pamungkas, ex-PDI member Berar Fathia and popular Muslim leader Amien Rais have all put forward their names for the nation's top post.
Their nominations have been symbolic attacks on Mr Suharto's 32-year-old regime rather than real attempts to dethrone the man who is openly referred to as the "king".
The nomination of Mr Rais is perhaps more significant than that of Ms Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. Mr Rais is estimated to have 30 million supporters in his Muhammadiyah Muslim group.
Ms Megawati also has nationwide grassroots support, but it is disorganised and disenfranchised.
She has lost her seat in Parliament and lacks any formal channel along which to rise to the presidency.
Perhaps her only avenue is a nationalist-Muslim coalition with Mr Rais. But given their ideological differences, that seems unlikely.
Ms Megawati may have the heart to lead the nation, but if she does not have the mettle to defeat the current regime, her political ambitions might as well be dreams.