MEGAWATI ASKS FOR ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD COUNTRY

Jakarta, Jan 7 (ANTARA) - Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri asked the people to give her another opportunity to lead Indonesia so that she could finish the program she had initiated when she was in office.

"I will finish the cheap basic necessaries program that I started in the early period of my administration. It is time for us to know that the people's welfare has never improved since I stepped down," she said before thousands of people in Sorong, West Papua, on Wednesday as quoted by her special aide, Ari Junaedi.

Ari said in a short text message, Megawati on the occasion also reminded the people of similar conditions left after Bung Karno (first president and her father) was forced to resign in 1965.

He said Megawati also reminded her audience that she had only led the country for three years.

Megawati said all the suffering that the people had so far experienced was the result of their wrong choice in the last general elections.

In view of that she said there was no other choice but choosing her as president for 2009-2014 in the next presidential election to finish the struggle to improve the poor people's standard of living.

Megawati said she believed she would be reelected if the people really wanted it.

Megawati during her tour of Indonesia's eastern regions on January 6 to 9 had received warm welcomes from her supporters.

She was scheduled to visit Timika to celebrate Christmas and New Year as well as visit and present aid to the victims of a recent earthquake in Sorong.

The head of the Indonesia Democratic Party Struggle (PDIP)'s advisory council, Syarif Bastaman, meanwhile, admitted that Megawati's charisma among the people had remained strong.