Raphael Pura, Jakarta – Megawati Sukarnoputri's election as Indonesian vice president is likely to defuse an angry backlash against her defeat in Wednesday's presidential vote. But it could also make President Abdurrahman Wahid's new government more unwieldy.
After an intensive lobbying effort by Mr. Wahid to persuade Ms. Megawati to run for the No. 2 job, Indonesia's People's Consultative Assembly on Thursday elected her vice president by a vote of 396 to 284 over Hamzah Haz, the head of the Muslim-backed United Development Party, or PPP.
Ms. Megawati's victory significantly broadened the base of Mr. Wahid fledgling government, balancing its core support from Islamic parties with Ms. Megawati's more secular Indonesian Democratic Party, or PDI-P, which commands the allegiance of nationalists, liberal Muslims and religious minorities. Mr. Wahid's new coalition will likely feature cabinet representatives from all of Indonesia's major political parties as well as the armed forces.
"It's a very good composition between Gus Dur [Mr. Wahid's widely used nickname] and Megawati," said Ekki Syahrudin, a Golongan Karya, or Golkar, party official. "Gus Dur is representing the majority of the Muslims, while Megawati is representing the nationalists and the non-Muslims."
Forging that grand alliance was a bold gamble for Mr. Wahid on his very first day in office. The independent-minded Islamic leader quickly opted to mend fences with Ms. Megawati after unexpectedly trouncing her in Wednesday's presidential poll with the help of a seven-party Muslim coalition, outgoing President B.J. Habibie's Golkar party and the armed forces delegation to the assembly. Mr. Wahid's move risked alienating the voters that put him in power. Indeed, a substantial number of Mr. Wahid's Islamic and Golkar allies voted for Mr. Hamzah and against Ms. Megawati, defying the new president's wishes.
Calculated Maneuver
But Mr. Wahid's gambit was calculated to pre-empt wider political unrest in Indonesia prompted by the popular Ms. Megawati's loss in the presidential ballot. And it appeared to work, at least in Jakarta.
"With Megawati's election, the situation should be calmer and healthier," said assembly speaker Amien Rais, who supported Mr. Wahid for the presidency.
Even before the 52-year-old Ms. Megawati was officially elected, news of that likely outcome sent the Jakarta Stock Exchange's composite index rocketing 5.5%. The Indonesian currency also responded, strengthening to 7000 rupiah to the US dollar from 7400 rupiah on Wednesday.
The financial markets reflected a distinct easing in tension in Jakarta after a wild day of violent demonstrations by more than 50,000 pro-Megawati protesters following her defeat in the presidential poll Wednesday. More than 20 people were injured in clashes with riot police and army troops. On Thursday, the protests abruptly ended, with thousands of visiting PDI-P cadres leaving Jakarta for their homes in outlying provinces.
Elsewhere, however, Megawati supporters were involved in violent protests in Bali and in the city of Medan, in northern Sumatra.
Ms. Megawati – who appeared distraught and tearful following her presidential defeat Wednesday – accepted her new post in a poised and conciliatory address to the People's Consultative Assembly on Thursday night. In the speech, Ms. Megawati pointedly paid respect to her erstwhile political rivals, including former president Mr.
Habibie, as well as to Mr. Wahid, whom she called "my close friend." She called for ethnic and religious tolerance among Indonesia's diverse population of 210 million and said she would work "to end a crisis of confidence, which is the key to overcoming Indonesia's economic and political problems."
Ms. Megawati also appealed to her PDI-P followers not to "go to the street" or "do anything emotional" to protest her loss in the presidential vote. Assembly members responded to the nationally televised address with a standing ovation.
While the Wahid-Megawati leadership combination may soften Indonesia's immediate political strains, it is likely to complicate Mr.
Managing the country's daily affairs
When Mr. Wahid forms his cabinet within the next few days, he will face demands for posts from an array of political parties that supported his presidential bid, plus Ms. Megawati's PDI-P.
PDI-P's chairman, Dimyati Hartono, said that "by having the position as vice president, we have the opportunity to participate in the formation of the cabinet later."
That makes it likely that the cabinet will comprise a mix of politicians from various parties, civil servants and apolitical administrative technocrats. Formulating and carrying out policy with such a disparate group could be a daunting task without forceful direction.
Fragile health
But neither Mr. Wahid nor Ms. Megawati is known for management skills or detailed long-term vision. The 59-year-old Mr. Wahid carries the extra burden of ill health. He has suffered at least two strokes in recent years and is nearly blind. Unable to walk any distance unaided or to read from a prepared text, Mr. Wahid is in constant need of physical assistance. Although he heads Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, the 35-million-member Nahdlathul Ulama, he isn't a hands-on administrator. Rather, Mr. Wahid has made his name as an articulate advocate of religious and ethnic tolerance and as a spiritual leader to his Muslim followers.
The taciturn Ms. Megawati, who often appears uncomfortable at large public events, has been similarly uninvolved in the day-to-day running of the PDI-P. Instead, she derives her political power from her charismatic, populist father, former President Sukarno. That hereditary link has allowed the aristocratic Ms. Megawati to become the symbolic champion of Indonesia's small farmers and blue-collar urban workers. Ms. Megawati's relative political passivity and her apparent distaste for detailed strategic planning have been cited by critics as major reasons Ms. Megawati lost her presidential bid.
Whatever his other shortcomings, however, Mr. Wahid can be a savvy political tactician, as he illustrated in orchestrating his reconciliation with Ms. Megawati prior to the vice presidential vote. While pro-Megawati demonstrators roamed Jakarta's streets Wednesday night, newly elected Mr. Wahid began an effort to co-opt Ms. Megawati into his new government by persuading her to run for vice president. Ms. Megawati, unwilling to face the possible humiliation of another defeat after her presidential loss, initially refused to consider the No.2 post. On Thursday morning, she relented and agreed to try for the post on one condition: that she face no competitors for the vice presidency. According several PDI-P assembly members, Mr. Wahid eventually convinced Ms. Megawati to run by "guaranteeing" that she would be victorious.
Dropping out of contest
To ensure Ms. Megawati's victory, two of the political groups that elected Mr. Wahid arranged for their own vice presidential nominees to drop out of the contest at the last minute. One was Golkar's Akbar Tandjung; the other, Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto, who had been nominated by the military's delegation to the assembly. But Mr. Wahid and his allies failed to persuade the conservative Muslim PPP to drop Mr. Hamzah's candidacy despite intensive efforts to do so.
The result was a two-person vice presidential contest, which Ms. Megawati won despite opposition from PPP and other conservative Muslim assembly members who mistrust Ms. Megawati's close links to non-Muslims and who worried that Ms. Megawati might unexpectedly succeed to the presidency should the frail Mr. Wahid die in office or be incapacitated.
"What happens if in a month or so something happens to [Mr. Wahid's] health?" asked Yusril Ihza Mahendra, leader of the staunchly Islamic Crescent and Star Party.