Daniel Cooney, Jakarta – A rally meant to bolster flagging fortunes of Indonesia's beleaguered head of state fell flat Saturday when his vice president failed to show up.

Billed as a show of unity between President Abdurrahman Wahid and his deputy, Megawati Sukarnoputri, the lackluster gathering drew a far smaller crowd than predicted.

Megawati's absence fueled speculation of a rift within Wahid's 10-month-old coalition ahead of a crucial meeting of the nation's highest legislative body, the People's Consultative Assembly, which can dismiss the president.

The assembly elected Wahid over Megawati last October after he promised to institute sweeping reforms to fix deep problems across the sprawling Southeast Asian nation that include separatist and religious violence.

Political analyst Dede Oetomo said it was clear Megawati was moving away from Wahid. "There is definitely a rift," he said. "It's going to make it very difficult for Wahid to lead effectively without her support."

Jakarta's main sports stadium, the site for Saturday's rally, was less than one-third full. Flyers handed out on the capital's streets days before had called on members of Wahid's massive Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization and supporters of Megawati's powerful Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle to attend. Fewer than 20,000 turned up.

Rally organizers said the vice president was attending another meeting in the western Javanese city of Bandung. Hours before the rally, the Indonesian Observer newspaper quoted Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's founding President Sukarno, as saying national leaders should not "involve the masses in politics."

While Wahid has reined in the once powerful military, the crisis-ridden economy remains stalled and bloody separatist and sectarian conflicts rage in several provinces. Wahid's maverick style of administration and his habit of making contradictory statements have fueled discontent within the political elite.

Megawati's party has been angered by Wahid's decision to fire one of its top officials from the Cabinet and his refusal to tell the parliament why. Disgruntled senior lawmakers have promised not to launch impeachment proceedings against Wahid during the assembly's annual session, which starts on August 7.

Wahid made a brief speech Saturday laced with details of Indonesia's struggle against Dutch colonial rule half a century ago. He urged the nation to come together again. "I am confident that we will prove as soon as possible our national unity with the end of violence in Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya," he said in reference to Indonesia's main troublespots.

Some legislators are worried about Wahid's state of health. The 59-year-old leader has suffered a series of strokes in recent years and is almost blind. During the nationally televised gathering, Wahid repeatedly fell asleep as Muslim clerics prayed for peace.