Willy Masaharu, Solo – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri has accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of closely surveilling her activities in the party.
Although she did not mention a specific name, the former president blatantly implied an intelligence officer was assigned to listen to her speeches and report immediately to Yudhoyono.
"He is assigned to spy, to listen to my speeches. In just one minute, the leader of this republic already received my speeches. This is certain! It's okay, let [him know]. I like this so he can understand that he should lead like this.
"But I'm against violence, I don't like lies," Megawati said on Sunday during the declaration of Ganjar Pranowo and Heru Sudjatmoko as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidates for the Central Java gubernatorial election.
Megawati said the ideological conception of Trisakti, launched by her late father, President Sukarno – political sovereignty, economic self-sufficiency and cultural independence – had not been achieved.
"Today, beef is imported, shallots are imported, salt is imported, fruits are imported, rice is imported, soybeans are imported. What else is imported?" Megawati asked.
Megawati also criticized the involvement of state apparatuses in getting certain regional head candidates to win the regional elections. State officials were assigned to convince eligible voters in their areas to vote for certain candidates, she said.
Megawati expressed concern about the current political system in the country, which she said did not provide opportunity for potential legislative candidates to run in the election as they did not have enough money.
She said changes were needed to create an equal opportunity for politicians that possessed quality more than money. "Yes, that's how our system works. Those with money can run while those who do not will have problems," she said.
Megawati attributed the defeat of the party's gubernatorial candidates in West Java and North Sumatra to several factors, including money politics.
"Can you imagine that an official could take social assistance funds or others just like that. An official should be examined half a year before he or she runs [in an election]," Megawati said.
Megawati told the gathered PDI-P cadres that Ganjar and Heru were the best candidates for Central Java because the party had thought carefully about them and they were chosen based on their performance.
"If there are still doubts and voices which said I was unfair and I did not listen to the aspirations of the grass-roots, I want to stress that that's not true. "Why is this [one] being picked and the other is not? Well that's because I monitor their performances," Megawati said.
Megawati called on all PDI-P members to give their full support to Ganjar and Heru. The selection process to pick PDI-P's candidates drew controversy because many expected the party to give the gubernatorial candidacy ticket to incumbent Central Java Deputy Governor Rustriningsih, a party loyalist since it broke away from the Indonesian Democratic Party and became PDI-P.
Don Murdono, another PDI-P cadre, quit the party after he received a ticket to run for the governorship from a coalition of six political parties: Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), National Awakening Party (PKB), Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU), People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and United Development Party (PPP).
Megawati was president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004.