Guruh Sukarnoputra held a news conference on Tuesday to urge his sister, former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, to "take a rest" and stand aside as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and make way for new blood – himself.

Speaking in Sanur, Bali, near the venue of the party's national congress, Guruh said he believed that like Suharto in 1998 when he wanted to step down but was pushed by supporters to continue his rule, Megawati was facing the same pressures, despite the fact she was growing tired.

Suharto did step down in January 1998, but Guruh said Megawati had bowed to some senior members of the party who continued to encourage Megawati to again stand.

"People close to her always push her and tell her that many people still want her to become the chairwoman," he said.

Guruh, who gained some prominence as a choreographer before embarking on a political career that failed to scale anything close to spectacular heights, advised his sister to take a break from politics. "I advise Mbak Mega to take a rest and I will carry on," he said.

He also criticized "the unfairness of the party elites" who blocked him from being a candidate for chairperson for the 2010-2015 term. "There was intimidation to vote for a single candidate and money politics was involved," he alleged.