Word: megawati
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...required 180-degree turnabouts on some policy questions, it's effectively neutralized most challenges thus far to his presidency - an office he acquired only by his supreme skill at backroom politicking. Despite finishing a distant third in last spring's polls, Wahid managed to shut out the presumptive president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, by cobbling together a voting bloc of Islamic parties and Suharto supporters, and then immediately headed off the violent reaction in the streets by naming Megawati as his deputy. But while he's almost improbably acquired the support of the military against Wiranto, keeping the generals on board could...
...Christians in the Moluccas - is threatening to break the country apart, Wahid has restrained the military from maintaining the traditional order by brute force. The waning of their own authority may make the top brass more sympathetic to Wiranto's own plight, while the nationalist party of Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri has fiercely opposed Wahid's proposal to give Indonesia's various regions more autonomy as part of a federation. Megawati presided over the cabinet meeting attended by Wiranto Wednesday, and had traveled to some of Indonesia's trouble spots with the general over the weekend...
...Wiranto, the military and Megawati aren't the only ones with axes to grind - former Suharto supporters both in the military and in the private sector are threatened by the new government's anti-corruption efforts. But Wahid is a wily politician whose coalition-building skills were evident last year when he shut out Megawati for the top job despite his relatively tiny share of the electoral vote. And until now, he's kept his opponents off balance and divided through skillfully alternating between concessions and challenges. Still, his looming showdown with Wiranto may prove to be his toughest battle...
Communication between Wahid and Megawati will become vital in the months ahead, as a new Cabinet is chosen and the political odd couple set about governing the country. "Because Gus cannot read documents, the question is who will control the flow of information to him," says Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, a former Cabinet minister. "There will be fierce competition over who is going to whisper in his ear." Or his mobile phone...
...suffered a stroke in 1998 that left him unable to walk unaided. "We need a leader who can unite the nation, and he has the capacity," says Emil Salim, a respected former Finance Minister. "But Gus Dur is not a healthy man." Should he die or become incapacitated, Megawati would take over as President for the remainder of his five-year term--something that could spark renewed opposition from Muslim parties, particularly if it happened before she had time to mend some political fences...