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Megawati “Most Popular” Politician In Indonesia
by Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA (IslamOnline) - As the year 2000 fades away with a host of troubles for Indonesia, its Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri, has seen her popularity rise.
A survey conducted this month and released over the weekend by the Kompas newspaper showed the VP took over the popularity mantle from her senior, Prime Minister Abdurrahman Wahid.
The survey indicated that Megawati was more popular than Wahid by respondents even though acknowledging she has no memorable accomplishments to her name, that she lacks courage and is too quiet and insensitive to various problems in the country.
The daughter of former president Sukarno, Megawati lost a presidential battle in 1999 to Wahid. Her party, the Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P), however, won the first democratic elections held in Indonesia and grabbed 32% of the votes.
Yet she is known to be a shy leader who does not like to speak much and relies on associates in her party on important matters.
What won her votes were her personal character and attitude, including consistency, ability to control her emotions, charisma, nationalist traits, and wisdom.
She garnered 23.7% of the total votes, indicating that she is still an influential figure in Indonesian politics.
Observers had written her out as a potential successor to the wailing Wahid, whose inconsistencies and warmongering attitudes have made the Indonesian public concerned for the future.
Concerned that Megawati will not be able to better solve Indonesia’s problems than Wahid, observers believe that any governance under her leadership would certainly lead to an increase in Islamic activism and “extremism”.
Megawati is viewed as strongly against Islamic activism, desiring not to have Islamic laws run the largely Muslim majority nation of 210 million.
Sixty-seven national figures were polled in the phone survey involving 1509 respondents in 13 large cities in Indonesia. The survey confirmed Wahid’s decline in popularity.
The embattled President was placed third with 10% of the votes behind Amien Rais, the chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, who polled at 10.3%. Rais was also voted as the most popular politician.
Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid came in fourth, and House Speaker Akbar Tandjung a surprising fifth. Tandjung is the leader of the Golkar Party that is considered to be the leading element in the New Order regime formerly led by former president Suharto.
Wahid’s inconsistencies and confusing statements won him the category of the "least liked public figure" with 62% of the votes, according to Kompas.
Respondents also favorably viewed a rising star within the Indonesian political scene: the Muslim leader of the Moon Star Party (PPP),Yusril Ihza Mahendra. As Minister of Justice, he was voted the most popular man from the legal circle.
He was also voted the most popular member of Wahid’s cabinet. Mahendra’s popularity may indicate that Muslims are firmly behind the PPP leader.
The PPP is one of the few parties that has formally rejected the New Order constitution of the country, the Panchasila, adopting Islam as the party’s constitution.
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