Megawati under pressure to unveil cabinet

Out with the old, in with the new: a government employee puts Megawati's picture in the top spot

By staff and wire reports

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- New Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri is visiting her father's grave in East Java as calls mount for her to unveil a cabinet and start tackling the country's woes.

The grave of founding President Sukarno lies in a province that is also the political heartland of former leader Abdurrahman Wahid, who remains ensconced in the presidential palace in Jakarta.

Despite Wahid's downfall, neither East Java nor other parts of the unruly archipelago have erupted as many feared. Security for Megawati's visit was expected to be tight, although she also commands a large following in the populous province.

A government official told Reuters news agency that Megawati left early Wednesday and would return to Jakarta after lunch once she had paid her respects to her father.

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Against a backdrop of doubts about her leadership capabilities, analysts have urged Megawati to announce a cabinet quickly and begin the herculean task of dragging the world's fourth most populous nation out of crisis.

Strong gains in the rupiah since Wahid's sacking by the top assembly on Monday for incompetence, will count for nothing unless a credible cabinet takes office and the political bickering that has held Indonesia hostage for months fades.

Underscoring the job ahead, the Jakarta Post newspaper said in an editorial on Wednesday that what Indonesia probably needed was not Megawati as leader, but a "mega-president."

Politicians have already started fighting over who will take the vice president's post left vacant by Megawati's appointment, threatening to sour the coalition that dumped Wahid and gave the shy 54-year-old the job she has long coveted.

Local media on Wednesday quoted officials from the Muslim-oriented United Development Party (PPP) as saying they would refuse to allow its members to join Megawati's government if a rival party candidate became vice president.

PPP is the third largest party in parliament and wants its candidate to be Megawati's deputy over Akbar Tandjung, head of the former ruling Golkar party and current House speaker.

Golkar is the second largest party after Megawati's Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle.

The vice presidential vote will take place in the top assembly later on Wednesday.

Moving out

Officials also hope Wahid will leave the sprawling colonial Dutch-built palace in central Jakarta this week.

Wahid's youngest daughter has said the family had been getting ready to move out.

Apparently keen to avoid confrontation and inflame Wahid's millions of followers, Megawati has been holding meetings in the vice-presidential office, her former workplace. Officials have not put any public pressure on Wahid to depart.

Wahid's aides confirmed Tuesday that presidential guards had left the palace, though a police and army presence remained. The aides also said Wahid would speak publicly on Wednesday evening.

Other palace sources told CNN the mood inside the presidential palace was somber and conciliatory, with Wahid apparently resigned to his fate.

On Monday the People's Consultative Assembly voted 591-0 to repeal the legislative act that put Wahid in power nearly two years ago.

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Hanoi welcomed Megawati's election and offered hope that she would lead the country towards greater stability.

Reuters contributed to this report.