MEGAWATI: Yes. I never publicly mentioned my prediction. But I strongly believed we would get a minimum of 40 percent of the vote. Perhaps we will even get more.
Are you in the process of forming your governing coalition already?
We are in preparatory contacts with a number of other parties. We are putting together a mosaic that hasn’t formed into a clear picture yet.
Will the core of your coalition be Abdurrahman Wahid’s National Awakening Party and Amien Rais’s National Mandate Party?
I really don’t want to lock myself in with specific names. Let me say that I am open to most parties. It all depends on how many seats a party wins.
Would you be willing to bring Golkar into your coalition if it drops President Habibie as its presidential candidate?
I believe that Habibie does not necessarily represent Golkar. We have to distinguish between the name of an individual and the institution.
Is the armed forces backing you to become president, as some people say?
I’m sure the armed forces will support the people’s choice.
Some Golkar reformists say they would join you if you bring General Wiranto on board as your vice presidential candidate. Is that possible?
I can’t name my vice presidential candidate right now. The name of my running mate has to go through the party electoral process.
If you firm up a working coalition in the near future, will you ask President Habibie to step down before November when the presidential election is scheduled?
As the three of us [Megawati, Wahid and Amien] noted in our communique when we formed our alliance during the campaign last month, we would like to have a meeting of [the presidential electoral college] no more than three months after the parliamentary election. So on our next Independence Day, on Aug. 17, Indonesians may have a new president. Soon Habibie will be operating in a vacuum as well as being a lame duck.
If you become president, what will be your priority?
We need to first restore the people’s confidence in their government. The only way to do it is to provide justice in the courts. So I believe a priority is to create an independent judiciary in Indonesia. We also need to create greater transparency both in and out of government and strengthen our economic institutions.
Why are you so vague when you talk of your policies?
I’m not. It depends on the audience. If I’m addressing an international audience I always talk about specific policies. But not when I’m facing the people who can’t easily digest complicated and sophisticated policies. What they want is for me to bring them hope for a better future. But we must not talk too much and promise more than we can deliver.
Is your own party dangerously split between reformists and old-style Sukarno socialists?
I don’t think the old values can be retained. We have to follow common world trends such as democracy, protecting the environment, international law and protecting human rights. There are no other options.
