Megawati to skip rival's inauguration
AP, Jakarta, Indonesia
Outgoing President Megawati Sukarnoputri, criticised by the media for being a sore loser in Indonesia's first direct presidential vote, will skip this week's inauguration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the country's next head of state, a senior aide said Sunday. Voters overwhelmingly dumped Megawati in favour of Yudhoyono in the Sept 20 election over her failure to fix the many economic and social problems saddling the world's most populous Muslim nation. During her tenure, Megawati was also perceived as aloof and uncaring. "There are no regulations requiring her presence at the ceremony," Pramono Anung, a senior official in Megawati's party, said of the inauguration. "She also has no plans to meet him soon." Yudhoyono told reporters Sunday he had asked for a meeting with Megawati, "so that there could be good communication between my team and her team and that the transfer of government can be democratic and peaceful." "There should be no gap or discontinuity because this could be very dangerous. Public service and government should not halt over this," he said. Megawati tearfully conceded defeat in a vaguely worded speech days after the results were announced. Yudhoyono attended the speech, but Megawati never mentioned him by name and did not acknowledge his presence. The prime ministers of Malaysia and Australia have confirmed they will attend the inauguration on Thursday while Singapore and East Timor are considering sending senior officials. Japan plans to send a special envoy, and other countries will send ambassadors.
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