Howard backs Megawati for president http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/9910/19/A63705-1999Oct19.shtml Source: AAP | Published: Tuesday October 19 4:17:58 PM
Prime Minister John Howard today offered strong support for Megawati Sukarnoputri to become Indonesia's next president despite his personal rapport with incumbent BJ Habibie.
The 700-member People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) will decide tomorrow who will be Indonesia's leader for the next five years.
Mr Howard said the fact that Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP) commanded the most parliamentary seats looked like being decisive in her favour.
'Well, it's for Indonesia to decide who its president should be but she got the highest vote and her party commands the most seats,' Mr Howard told Sydney radio 2UE.
The prime minister said the decision by armed forces chief General Wiranto to reject an invitation to be President Habibie's running mate was also a significant development.
Rumours of a deal between Megawati and the leader of Habibie's Golkar Party, Akbar Tanjung, also strongly supported Megawati's election prospects, he said.
'If there has been such a deal and by the same token if General Wiranto has rejected Dr Habibie's invitation then both of those things would appear to very strongly support Megawati's prospects of becoming president,' Mr Howard said.
Mr Howard said Australia would work with whoever won the election.
'But let me make this comment, that from a democratic point of view her party won the most seats and that, in the end, should be a very decisive factor,' he said.
Opinion polls in Jakarta show Megawati is clear favourite to become the next president and suggest she would easily win if the president was directly elected by Indonesian voters.
The election will be contested between Megawati and Muslim leader Abdurrahman Wahid.
Habibie's re-election hinged on an assembly vote today on whether to accept the accountability speech he made last week on his 16 months in office.
Mr Howard developed close ties with Dr Habibie during their negotiations this year on East Timor and the agreement to allow the independence vote in the territory.
Relations between Jakarta and Canberra have deteriorated, however, due to differences on Australia's reaction to violence in East Timor and over its leadership of the multinational peacekeeping force.
The MPR was today also deciding whether to endorse East Timor's independence vote.