Megawati Calls on Students to Monitor 2014 General Election

Surabaya, East Java (Antara) - Opposition party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri called on students here on Saturday not to become absentee voters, but to help monitor the upcoming general elections. "Do not become absentee voters, because if we do we might get a leader that we do not want. We, instead, must monitor the election to avoid fraud," she said before students of Surabaya University. During a lecture, the general chairperson of the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP) said that indications of fraud had already been seen. Megawati noted that this year would not only be a political year, but would also determine whether the country has been able to implement democracy correctly, as in 1955, or whether it still has much to learn about democracy if significant fraud occurs. She said the rise of a leader who does not meet the people's hopes or who was elected due to fraud would cause harm to the public. "The main problem of the nation would be the presence of a leader who has no pride in his own nation, as he or she will trivialize the country, seeking only foreign aid," she said. She added that foreign aid was actually a debt that was packaged like a grant or investment, while the donor¿s motive was to exploit the country's wealth. Megawati, during her visit to Surabaya on Saturday, was accompanied by Jakarta governor Joko Widodo, who has been touted as the possible presidential candidate of PDIP. (*) reporting by edy m ya'kub