Jakarta – Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri yesterday lashed out at members of her own party, calling them "thugs" who are out of touch with voters – an apparent attempt to rein in corrupt cadres seen as hindering her re-election next year.

"There are legislators who have never gone back to their constituencies, let alone fight for their causes," Ms Megawati told leaders of her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) at the start of a week-long national party convention in Jakarta.

"Why have I been lied to?" she said, adding that senior party leaders had been paid off or were "involved in money politics" to keep silent about corrupt members. She vowed to fire anyone found to be involved in corruption or a cover-up.

"I like being the head of PDI-P, but I am tired of looking out for these thugs," she warned. Her comments – rare for the soft-spoken, media-shy president – are probably meant to boost support ahead of next year's national election. Ms Megawati is ahead in the polls, but her party is expected to lose many seats in Parliament.

Public dissatisfaction with her party is growing. Critics say she has failed to keep her promises to curb graft and bring economic benefits to the poor since she took office two years ago.

Cabinet member Kwik Kian Gie on Monday denounced the ruling party as corrupt and predicted that it would suffer at the ballot box.

In January, weeks of street protests forced Ms Megawati's government to reinstate expensive state subsidies for electricity, fuel and water – subsidies that foreign lenders say must be slashed to control a ballooning budget deficit.

Some protesters were arrested for defacing portraits of Ms Megawati during the demonstrations – a throwback to methods used by former dictator Suharto, who often imprisoned dissenters before he was ousted in 1998.

Indonesia's current economic growth rate of around 4 per cent is considered too low to keep up with the legions of young people entering the workforce.