Megawati Soekarnoputri

5th President of Indonesia
In office
July 23, 2001 – October 20, 2004
Vice President(s)	Hamzah Haz
Preceded by	Abdurrahman Wahid
Succeeded by	Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Born	January 23, 1947 Jogjakarta, Indonesia
Political party	Social Democrat PDI-P
Spouse	Taufiq Kiemas
Religion	Muslim

Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Soekarnoputri (born January 23, 1947), was President of Indonesia from July 2001 to October 20, 2004. She was the country's first female President, and the first Indonesian leader born after independence. On September 20 she lost her campaign for re-election in the 2004 Indonesian presidential election. Image File history File links Megawati. ... List of Presidents of Indonesia Categories: Indonesia | Lists of office-holders ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hamzah Haz Hamzah Haz is an Indonesian politician born in Ketapang, West Kalimantan on 15 February 1940. ... Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid (also known as Gus Dur) (born August 4, 1940) was President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001, and leader of the National Awakening Party, which he founded after the fall of Suharto. ... -1... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Map showing Yogyakarta province in Indonesia Yogyakarta is a city, province, and sultanate in Indonesia. ... Image File history File links Pdi-p. ... The Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan) is a political party in Indonesia. ... Taufiq Kiemas is the husband of former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... List of Presidents of Indonesia Categories: Indonesia | Lists of office-holders ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of women who have been appointed head of state of their respective countries. ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... A sample ballot paper showing the five presidential candidates and their vice-presidential running-mates. ...

Sukarnoputri means "daughter of Sukarno" (Sanskrit) and it is not the the family's surname: Javanese do not have surnames. She is simply referred to as 'Megawati' (or 'Mega') which is derived from Sanskrit meghavatī = "she who has a cloud", i.e. a raincloud, as rain is needed to make food crops grow, and it was raining when she was born. The Sanskrit language ( , ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. ... Javanese is a term used to describe a native of the Indonesian island of Java. ... The Sanskrit language (Skt. ...

Early life

Megawati was born in Yogyakarta, the second child and eldest daughter of Sukarno, then the president of Indonesia, which had declared its independence from the Netherlands in 1945. Her mother Fatmawati was one of Sukarno's nine wives. Megawati grew up in luxury in her father's Merdeka Palace. Yogyakarta (also Jogjakarta in pre-1972 spelling or Jogja) is a city and province of Indonesia on the island of Java. ... Sukarno (June 6, 1901 – June 21, 1970) was the first President of Indonesia. ... 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Istana Merdeka is a palace complex in Central Jakarta, Indonesia. ...

Megawati went to Padjadjaran University in Bandung to study agriculture, but dropped out in 1967 to be with her father following his fall from power. Megawati was 19 when Sukarno was succeeded by a military government led by Suharto. Sukarno's family was ignored by the new government provided they stayed out of politics. Bandung is also the name of a Malaysian drink. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Haji Mohammad Soeharto (born June 8, 1921), more commonly referred to as simply Soeharto (Suharto in the English-speaking world), is a former Indonesian military and political leader. ...

In 1970, the year Sukarno died, Megawati went to the University of Indonesia to study psychology but dropped out by Soeharto regime intervention after two years. Even her warmest admirers would not claim that Megawati is an intellectual, and she has little knowledge of the world outside Indonesia. She is a pious Muslim but also follows traditional Javanese beliefs and has great faith in astrology. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Javanese beliefs (Kebatinan or Kejawen) have priciples embodying a search for inner self but at the core is the concept of Peace Of Mind. ... Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut. ...

Megawati's first husband, First Lieutenant Surindo Supjarso, was killed in a plane crash in Irian Jaya in 1970. In 1972, she married Hassan Gamal Ahmad Hasan, an Egyptian diplomat. The marriage was annulled shortly after. She married Taufik Kiemas, her present husband, in 1973. They have three children, M. Rizki Pramata, M. Pranada Prabowo and Puan Maharani, now in their 30s. Map showing Papua province in Indonesia Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Political career

Sukarno, Megawati's father, the first President of Indonesia. He helped the country win its independence from the Netherlands

Megawati avoided politics for nearly 20 years, describing herself as a simple housewife, although her father's followers continued to see her as his political heir. In 1987, however, Megawati and her husband joined the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), a government-sanctioned party which provided a facade of democratic choice in Suharto's "New Order" government. As a reward for her apparent acceptance of the government, Megawati was elected to Parliament. former Indonesia President Soekarno This work is copyrighted. ... former Indonesia President Soekarno This work is copyrighted. ... Sukarno (June 6, 1901 – June 21, 1970) was the first President of Indonesia. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) was created from a fusion of the three secular parties: the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), the League of the Supporters of Indonesian Independence (IPKI), and the Party of the Masses (Partai Murba)and two Christian parties: the Indonesian Christian Party (Partindo) and the Catholic Party...

In 1993 Megawati became the leader of PDI, where she became a popular leader of the opposition to Suharto. 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. 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... The middle class (or middle classes) comprises a social group once defined by exception as an intermediate social class between the nobility and the peasantry. ...

By 1996 the government realized it had made a mistake in allowing Megawati to enter politics, and forced her removal from the leadership of the PDI. This triggered rioting in Jakarta. Megawati was banned from contesting the May 1997 general election. This only increased her popularity. She formed her own party, Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan/PDI-P) (Perjuangan means "Struggle.") 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Jakarta (also Djakarta or DKI Jakarta), formerly known as Sunda Kelapa, Jayakarta and Batavia is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan) is a political party in Indonesia. ...

The Asian financial crisis which began in 1997, as well as increasing public anger at pervasive corruption, brought about the end of Suharto’s long rule, and he resigned in May 1998. His successor, Jusuf Habibie, promised free elections in 1999, and the PDI-P rapidly became the main rival to the government party, Golkar. The Asian financial crisis was a financial crisis that started in July 1997 in Thailand and affected currencies, stock markets, and other asset prices in several Asian countries, many considered East Asian Tigers. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (born June 25, 1936), more commonly known simply as Rudy Habibie or B J Habibie, was the third President of Indonesia, holding office from 1998 to 1999. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... The Party of the Functional Groups (Indonesian: Partai Golongan Karya) is a political party in Indonesia, also known as Golkar (Sekretariat Bersama Golongan Karya, or Joint Secretariat of Functional Groups). ...

At the June 1999 elections, PDI-P emerged as the largest party, but did not win an absolute majority of votes, or a majority of seats in the Parliament. Under Indonesia's new constitution, the President was chosen by the legislature, and Megawati appeared to have the strongest claim to the presidency. But the other parties united to block her, partly because of Muslim opposition to a woman president. Her erstwhile friend and ally, Abdurrahman Wahid, was chosen instead. Megawati agreed to become the Vice President. Wahid, however, had suffered several strokes and soon proved to be unable to carry out the role of President. He was also accused of tolerating corruption in the administration. In July 2001 the parties in the legislature united to force his resignation. On July 23, 2001, Megawati was duly installed as the new President of the Republic of Indonesia. Abdurrahman Wahid Abdurrahman Wahid (also known as Gus Dur) (born August 4, 1940) was President of Indonesia from 1999 to 2001, and leader of the National Awakening Party, which he founded after the fall of Suharto. ... List of Vice Presidents of Indonesia Dr. Mohammad Hatta (1945 - 1956) Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX (1973 -1978) Adam Malik (1978 - 1983) Umar Wirahadikusumah (1983 - 1988) Sudharmono (1988 - 1993) Try Sutrisno (1993 - 1998) B.J.Habibie (1998) Megawati Sukarnoputri (1999 - 2001) Hamzah Haz (2001 - 2004) Jusuf Kalla (2004 - 2009) See also... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... July 23 is the 204th day (205th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 161 days remaining. ...

Presidency

Under Megawati, the process of democratic reform begun under Habibie and Wahid continued, albeit slowly and erratically. Megawati appeared to see her role mainly as a symbol of national unity, and she rarely actively intervened in government business. The military, disgraced at the time of Suharto's fall, regained much of its influence. Corruption continued to be pervasive, though Megawati herself was seldom blamed for this.

Some Indonesian scholars explained Megawati's apparent passivity in office by reference to Javanese mythology. Megawati, they said, saw her father, Sukarno, as a "Good King" of Javanese legend. Suharto was the "Bad Prince" who had usurped the Good King's throne. Megawati was the Avenging Daughter who overthrew the Bad Prince and regained the Good King's throne. Once this had been achieved, they said, Megawati was content to reign as the Good Queen and leave the business of government to others^{[citation needed]}.

Although by 2004 Indonesia's economy had stabilised and partly recovered from the 1997 crisis, unemployment and poverty remained high, and there was considerable disappointment at Megawati's presidency. The Indonesian Constitution was amended to provide for the direct election of the President, and Megawati stood for a second term. She consistently trailed in the opinion polls, due in part to the preference for male candidates among Muslim voters, and in part due to what was widely seen as a mediocre performance in office. Despite a somewhat better than expected performance in the first round of the elections, in the second round she was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Megawati neither conceded defeat, nor congratulated her successor, nor attended his inauguration. She simply vacated the Presidential Palace and returned to private life without making any statement. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... -1...

Megawati Sukarnoputri in popular culture

One of the leading characters in the comedy Strangers with Candy (2006) is a high school student named Megawatti Sucarnaputri. When introduced he assures his friends "Not that Megawati Sukarnoputri." Strangers With Candy is an upcoming film, expected to be released in 2006 by Warner Independent Pictures. ...

External links

Indonesia Portal

• Forbes - Megawati is ranked eighth on The World's Top Ten Most Powerful Women 2004
• TIME Magazine - The Princess Who Settled for the Presidency