The Jakarta Post, January 15, 2003
Security concerns foil Megawati's visit to Poso
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Continuing protests and mounting pressure on the government to cancel the fuel and
utility price hikes have forced President Megawati Soekarnoputri to cancel her trip to
the Central Sulawesi town of Poso.
Although there was no official statement explaining the cancellation of what would
have been the President's first visit to Poso since taking office in 2001, an official
earlier said pressure in Jakarta on Megawati's administration was likely to disrupt her
trip.
In Poso, a coordination meeting between local authorities and presidential officials
was held on Tuesday to discuss the cancellation.
"The visit was called off because the government has to prepare itself for a planned
consultation meeting with the House of Representatives," a spokesman for the Poso
administration, Maragau, said as quoted by Antara.
Megawati has not visited Poso since sectarian clashes between Christians and
Muslims broke out in 1999. The President was scheduled to attend a National
Solidarity Day celebration in Poso on Wednesday.
Antigovernment rallies have taken place across the country over the past two weeks
since the government increased telephone and electricity rates and fuel prices.
The South Sulawesi capital of Makassar and the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu have
seen some of the largest antigovernment rallies. Almost daily, thousands of people
take to the streets to protest the price increases.
On Monday, Presidential Palace officials received a security alert from demonstrators
in the two provinces, who said that wild rallies would "welcome" Megawati's trip there.
"That is why we decided to cancel the trip as there are too many security risks," a
presidential details official said on Tuesday. Megawati would have made a stopover in
Makassar en route to Poso.
The two provinces are known as strongholds of the Golkar Party, the main threat to
Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle in the 2004 elections.
An official at the State Secretary's office said Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar
Chamsyah and Minister of National Education Malik Fajar had been assigned to travel
to Poso in place of Megawati.
In the capital, the President must deal with heightened pressure from leaders of the
House of Representatives and People's Consultative Assembly, who have demanded
consultation meetings regarding the current situation.
Although far from showing any intention of toppling her government, various politicians,
activists and organizations have gathered to reinforce the opposition to Megawati.
All three coordinating ministers will fulfill the House's request for a meeting on
Wednesday evening to explain the price hikes.
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