Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri appeared tense, distracted and unprepared in Indonesia's first presidential debate – a showing critics said may have sealed her defeat in next week's election.
Analysts said the 57-year-old Megawati needed a dynamic performance to shake off the image that she is an aloof "princess" and give her a boost ahead of the July 5 elections. She is trailing the leading contender, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, by as many as 30 percentage points in recent polls.
Instead, Megawati was panned for stiffly reading from prepared statements in the debate with one of her four rivals, lawmaker Amien Rais.
She was also criticized for giving vague answers or letting her running mate, Hasyim Muzadi, answer many of the questions. "This definitely didn't help her," said Sjahirir, a political analyst who like many Indonesians uses one name. "Can you imagine? She started out reading from a text and then ended by letting Muzadi read from a text. You're running for office, and you can't talk freely for three minutes. She's got no chance."
During the 90-minute televised event, Megawati mostly revived stale campaign promises – 13 million jobs, a 40% cut in poverty – without offering details. She also defended her record and begged voters to give her more time to fix the ailing economy and crack down on corruption. "Many of our problems started many years ago," she said. "It isn't easy to overhaul this situation. We have made progress."
On Thursday night, in the final debate of the campaign, the two leading candidates – both retired generals – said those who abuse civil rights should be treated like drug dealers and be punished with death.
But Yudhoyono, a former security minister, and Wiranto were less clear about the role of the military if they win the presidency. Both said they supported civilian rule, but insisted policy should be set by the generals.
Megawati, the daughter of the country's founder, Sukarno, became president in July 2001, replacing Abdurrahman Wahid, who was impeached on charges of corruption and incompetence. She had a loyal following from her days as a critic of ex-dictator Suharto, and many hoped she would match the charisma of her father, who died under house arrest in 1970.
Supporters also expected her administration to take aim at Suharto and his cronies, help the poor, and lead the transition to a democracy. But corruption worsened and Suharto remains free. Anti-government activists have been jailed, and the economy has not grown fast enough to put a dent in double-digit unemployment or to help the poor.
"She created an enormous amount of hope going back to 1998 and 1999," said Jeffrey Winters, an Indonesian expert at Northwestern University in Chicago. "She misread the signals and somehow did not realize that people wanted genuine change. ... She didn't deliver."
Megawati's reputation, critics said, has also been hurt by a close relationship with the military. She has been slow to respond to crisis, rarely speaks in public, and often refuses to heed advice. She was accused of standing idle as floods inundated the capital in 2002, and she all but ignored the threat of terrorism until after the October 12, 2002, Bali bombings, which killed 202 people.
The latest survey from the Washington-based International Foundation for Electoral Systems, released Thursday, showed Megawati trailing in third place and only gaining about a percentage point since the campaign began a month ago.
"I supported her before, but since she took office, prices for many basic goods have gone up," said Nelmawati Yani, who plans to vote for Rais. "Maybe he can change the country for the better."