LAKSAMANA.Net, August 10, 2004 11:58 PM
Mega Meets Miss Universe & Amien Rais
Laksamana.Net - After taking a day off work following her return from a minor
pilgrimage to Mecca, President Megawati Sukarnoputri had a hectic day on Tuesday
(10/8/04), meeting with Miss Universe, ethnic Chinese businessmen, religious
leaders, farmers, and National Mandate Party (PAN) leader Amien Rais.
The president had canceled all scheduled appointments on Monday after returning
that morning from her three-day pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Her first meeting on Tuesday was with Miss Universe 2004, Australian Jennifer
Hawkins (20), who is in Indonesia for a 10-day visit as part of her world tour. The tall
blonde Australian, who towered over Megawati, has pledged to help Indonesia combat
the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Also present at the meeting was Miss Indonesia 2004 Artika Sari Devi (24), who was
crowned by Hawkins at a ceremony in Jakarta last Friday.
The two beauty queens later met with Vice President Hamzah Haz, who has at least
three wives, and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso.
Discrimination Against Ethnic Chinese
After posing with the beauty queens for photographers, Megawati held a meeting at
the State Palace with about 80 ethnic Chinese business leaders and intellectuals
from across the country, and promised to stop the corrupt civil service from extorting
money from them.
She lamented that some civil servants are still imposing now-defunct discriminatory
regulations against members of Indonesia's minority ethnic Chinese community.
Several of the businessmen had complained that civil servants continue to demand
that they produce certificates of Indonesian citizenship (SBKRI).
"I have already asked the coordinating minister for politics and security affairs to take
stern action against those who ask for the SBKRI," Megawati was quoted as saying
by detikcom online news portal.
“But this [order] has not yet become a reality. So I ask you not to just moan and complain. If
you are asked [to produce the SBKRI] then just refuse,” she added.
Megawati said she had tried to resolve the problem and urged the ethnic Chinese to
unite in their rejection of outdated discriminatory regulations.
During the 32-year regime of former dictator Suharto, ethnic Chinese citizens were
required to produce the SBKRI when dealing with various bureaucratic procedures,
such as obtaining an identity card, passport, business license and driving license.
Civil servants also generally inflated official fees when issuing such documents to
ethnic Chinese.
Among the prominent tycoons present at the meeting were Alim Markus, boss of the
Maspion Group, and Ciputra, boss of the Ciputra Group.
Also present was Eko Sugitario, a lecturer from the University of Surabaya in East
Java province. He complained that immigration officials in the province still ask ethnic
Chinese to produce the SBKRI.
In response to his complaint, Megawati advised the ethnic Chinese to inform the
public that the SBKRI requirement has been revoked. "Possibly until now it has not
been widely socialized," she said.
During the meeting, six businessmen raised their aspirations and complaints over
Megawati's handling of the economy, urging her to boost her efforts to restore
economic growth.
Religious Solution
Megawati next met with prominent religious leaders, who proposed a vaguely worded
four-point plan, dubbed a 'Minimum Framework of Cohesiveness', to resolve the
nation's problems, especially corruption and discrimination.
Among those attending the meeting were Nahdlatul Ulama Central Board (PBNU)
chairman Masdar Farid Mas'udi, Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) chairman
Nathan Setiabudi, Budi S. Tanuwibowo of the High Council of Khonghucu (Confucian)
Religion, Seck Hui Siong of the Vihara Mahavira Buddhist organization, Pastor
Antonius Benny Susetyo of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI), and I Made
Artha of the Indonesian Hindu Council of Religious Affairs (PHDI).
Their four-point plan comprised: respect for the Constitution, the resolution of
transitional problems, the measurement and gauging of success, and strategic
implementation of policies.
Mas'udi said the four points accommodated the aspirations of religious figures from
across the nation and would help the nation's next president and vice president to
improve the country.
He also expressed hope that Indonesia's next leaders would be able to achieve strong
domestic and international credibility within their first three to six months in office.
Meanwhile, Setiabudi said Megawati had promised to implement the 'Minimum
Framework of Cohesiveness' if re-elected.
The religious leaders later submitted their aspirations to rival presidential candidate
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Dharmawangsa Hotel in South Jakarta.
Farming Future
Megawati on Tuesday also presided over an awards ceremony to honor various figures
for their achievements in the agricultural and poultry sectors.
During the occasion she called on farmers to increase their production of horticultural
commodities, such as vegetables and flowers, to enable Indonesia to become more
internationally competitive amid rising global demand for such products.
Megawati, herself a keen gardener, said Indonesia has the potential to export a wide
variety of agricultural commodities. She did not comment on the fact that much of
Indonesia's farmland has been cleared to make way for tobacco plantations.
In another event, Megawati opened the National Elementary School Students Games
at the Ragunan sports field in South Jakarta.
Amien Rais Uncommitted
Megawati and her businessman/legislator husband Taufik Kiemas on Tuesday night
met with PAN leader Amien Rais in the hope of reaching a deal to win his support for
the September 20 run-off presidential election.
Rais, who is also speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, came fourth in the
July 5 presidential election, winning 14.66% of the vote. Gaining his support could be
crucial to Megawati if she is to defeat Yudhoyono in the second round of the election.
The tightly guarded one-hour meeting at Rais' South Jakarta residence was also
attended by two senior officials of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P), Sabam Sirait and Pramono Anung, as well as PAN executives A.M.
Fatwa, Hatta Radjasa, Bambang Sudibyo and Edi Suparno.
Following the meeting, Rais said he had not made any deal to support Megawati. He
said PAN would later hold a plenary meeting to decide whether to support Megawati
or Yudhoyono.
"No commitment whatsoever was reached. It's the same as when I met with SBY in
Yogyakarta and no commitment was reached then, because I would not dare make
such a decision without first consulting my associates in the party,” he was quoted
as saying by detikcom.
"I also said the same thing to Mega, that I could not give any commitment
whatsoever… because I am still awaiting the PAN plenary meeting. I cannot impose
my will as chairman, I must meet with my associates and listen to them,” he added.
Rais said the meeting was not too formal, as they had also discussed Megawati's
recent pilgrimage.
Upon leaving, Megawati and Kiemas declined to comment on the results of the
meeting.
Draft State Budget
Politics aside, Megawati is scheduled to unveil the draft state budget for 2005 at a
plenary meeting of parliament on Monday, a day before Indonesia's 59th
Independence Day.
The draft budget forecasts Indonesia's economic growth rate at 5.4% in 2005, inflation
at 5.5% and a rupiah exchange rate of 8,600 to the dollar.
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