5th President of Indonesia
In office 23 July 2001 – 20 October 2004
Vice President Hamzah Haz
Preceded by Abdurrahman Wahid
Succeeded by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
8th Vice President of Indonesia
In office 26 October 1999 – 23 July 2001
President Abdurrahman Wahid
Preceded by Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie
Succeeded by Hamzah Haz
Birth name Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri
Birth date January 23, 1947 (age 65)
Birth place Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Political party Democratic Party-Struggle
Spouse(s) Surendro Supjarso (d. 1970)
Hassan Gamal Ahmad Hassan (1972)
Taufiq Kiemas (1973–present)
Children Mohammad Rizki Pramata
Mohammad Prananda
Puan Maharani
Alma mater Padjadjaran University
University of Indonesia
Religion Islam
Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri also known simply as Megawati, is an Indonesian politician, and leader of the opposition party PDI-P. She served as the President of Indonesia from 23 July 2001 to 20 October 2004. She was the country's first female President, and the fourth woman to lead a predominantly Muslim nation. She is also the first Indonesian leader to be born after independence. Megawati is the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno. After serving as Vice-President under Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati became President when Wahid was removed from office in 2001. She ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election but was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. She sought a rematch 2009 presidential election, losing again to Yudhoyono.
Member of the Legislative Branch In 1986, Suharto gave the status of Proclamation Hero to Sukarno in a ceremony attended by Megawati herself. Suharto's acknowledgment of Sukarno enabled the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), a government-sanctioned party, to run a campaign centered on Sukarno nostalgia in the lead up to the 1987 Legislative Elections. Up to that time, Megawati had seen herself as a housewife, but in 1987 she joined PDI and ran for a People's Representative Council (DPR) membership. PDI was only too keen to accept Megawati and boost their own image. Megawati quickly became popular, her status as Sukarno's daughter overruling her general lack of oratorical skills. Although PDI came last in the 1987 Legislative Elections, Megawati was elected to the DPR. Like all members of the DPR she also became a member of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Megawati was not re-elected to the DPR or the MPR, but continued as a PDI member. In December 1993, PDI held a National Congress. as was always the case when New Order opposition parties hold their congresses, the Government actively interfered in the Congress to ensure that the opposition parties would be tame towards them. As the Congress approached, three contenders for the Chairpersonship of PDI became evident. The first candidate was incumbent Suryadi who had started to become overly critical of the Government, the second candidate was Budi Harjono a Government-friendly figure whom the Government wanted to win the Chairpersonship, and finally, there was Megawati. Megawati's candidacy received such overwhelming support that her election at the Congress would only be a formality. Sensing this, the Government began to maneuver to ensure that Megawati would not be elected. When the Congress assembled, the Government began to stall and all attempts to hold the Chairperson election were delayed.
A situation then developed whereby if PDI did not elect a Chairperson by the end of the Congress, the Congress would not be allowed to continue because their permit to assemble would run out. As the hours ticked down to the end of the Congress, troops began gathering at the site of the Congress. Finally with two hours before the permit to assemble ran out, Megawati called a press conference. Megawati stated at the press conference, that because she enjoyed the support of a majority of PDI members, she was now the de facto Chairperson of PDI. Despite her relative lack of political experience, she was popular in part for her status as the daughter of Sukarno, but also because she was seen as free of corruption and having admirable personal qualities. Under her leadership, PDI gained a large following among the urban poor and both urban and rural middle classes. On the other hand the Government was outraged that they failed to prevent Megawati's election as Chairperson of PDI. They never acknowledged Megawati although Megawati's self-appointment to the Chairpersonship had been ratified in 1994 by PDI. Finally in 1996, the Government managed to convene a Special National Congress in Medan. This Congress, attended by anti-Megawati figures, re-elected Suryadi to the Chairpersonship of PDI. Megawati and her camp refused to acknowledge the results of the Government-backed congress, and PDI was divided into pro-Megawati and anti-Megawati camps. Suryadi began threatening to take back PDI's Headquarters in Jakarta. This threat came true during the morning of 27 July 1996.[4] Suryadi's supporters (reportedly with the Government's backing) attacked the PDI Headquarters and faced resistance from Megawati supporters who had been stationed there ever since the National Congress in Medan. In the ensuing fight, Megawati's supporters managed to hold on to the headquarters. A riot then ensued, followed by a crackdown by the Government. The Government later blamed the riots on the People's Democracy Party (PRD); they recognized Suryadi's PDI as the official PDI and also banned Megawati from competing in the 1997 Legislative Election. Despite what seemed to be a political defeat, Megawati scored a moral victory and her popularity grew. When the time came for the 1997 Legislative Elections, Megawati and her supporters threw their support behind the United Development Party (PPP), the other political party that the Government had allowed to exist.
Vice Presidency
As Vice President, Megawati had considerable authority by virtue of her commanding a lot of the seats in the DPR. Wahid delegated to her the problems in Ambon, although she was not successful. By the time the MPR Annual Session assembled in August 2000, many considered Wahid to be ineffective as President or at the very least as an administrator. Wahid responded to this by issuing a Presidential Decree, giving Megawati day-to-day control of the Government.
Presidency
MPR Chairman Amien Rais congratulates Megawati on her appointment as President. On July 23, 2001, the People's Consultative Assembly assembled. Its members unanimously removed Wahid from office before appointing Megawati as President. She thus became the fourth woman to lead a Muslim nation (after Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and Khaleda Zia and Hasina Wajed of Bangladesh). She ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election, hoping to become the first woman elected in her own right as head of state in a Muslim nation. However, she was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the second round, held on 20 September 2004. She famously refused to congratulate the new president in public.
Post-Presidency
On 11 September 2007 Megawati announced her 2009 reelection bid at a gathering of the PDI-P (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle). Soetardjo Soerjoguritno confirmed her willingness to be nominated as her party's presidential candidate. However, she failed to win this election to the incumbent President Yudhoyono.
Presidential elections 2014
On 24. February 2012, Megawati distanced herself from polls that placed her as a top contender for the Indonesian presidential election, 2014. Megawati, the Chairwoman of the PDI-P party (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) appealed to her party at a gathering in Yogyakarta to focus on PDI-P's current priorities. Nonetheless, a domain name appears to have been registered in her name. Megawati's last race in the Indonesian presidential election, 2009 ended with the reelection of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and was overshadowed by her calls to change Indonesia's voter registration procedure, obliquely suggesting that Yudhoyono's supporters were trying to manipulate the vote. Megawati and her running mate Prabowo Subianto came in second with 26.79% of the vote.
(Source Wikipedia)
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