Western Media and Indonesian Politics: Gender, Religion and Democracy - How the Western Media Report Indonesian Politics

Abstract

This book examines how the Western print media, in three countries, reported the political rise of former Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri in the late 1990s. Megawati is the first-born daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno (1945-1966). Achmed Sukarno, along with Mohommad Hatta, led the nationalist independence movement against Dutch colonisation. Megawati was formerly the Chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party ('Partai Demokrasi Indonesia', PDI) before leading the breakaway party, the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle ('Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan', PDI-P). She had been a member of the national parliament, People's Representative Council ('Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat', DPR) since 1987. Between 1987 and 1993, Megawati was a relatively quiet political figure in Indonesian politics, often absent from national debates and described as an unlikely candidate to become President. In 1996, Megawati was removed from the Chair of the PDI and banned from contesting elections in Indonesia. In the lead up to the turbulent period of 1998-1999 (particularly from 1996 onwards) Megawati, as Sukarno's daughter, appeared to symbolise the incongruous nature of President Suharto (1966-1998) and his New Order government. When Suharto was forced to resign in May 1998, Megawati was reasonably well positioned to assume the Presidency. However, a series of parliamentary machinations led to the election of Abdurrahman Wahid (1999-2001), the leader of 'Nahdlatul Ulama' (NU) and the founder of the National Awakening Party ('Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa', PKB) as President. Megawati was elected Vice President. Following the impeachment of President Wahid in July 2001, Megawati was appointed President of Indonesia by the People's Consultative Assembly ('Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat', MPR).