Megawati's Report Card

Leadership Style
Her aloofness and reluctance to speak to the press have fostered an image of a leader who is out of touch. She often appears incapable of selling her ideas or programs

Terrorism
The government passed tough antiterror legislation in the wake of the Bali bombings, but Megawati appears reluctant to crack down on Islamic extremists for fear of alienating the Muslim vote in this election year

Economy
GDP is expected to grow a healthy 4.8% in 2004; stocks have risen; the rupiah and inflation are stable; and the national debt has fallen. Still, capricious bureaucrats and courts continue to deter foreign investment, which tumbled 41% in the first quarter, year-on-year

Jobs
With more than 9 million people unemployed and another 30 million—or nearly a third of the work force—who can't find as much work as they would like, the World Bank has warned that unemployment is reaching an "alarming level"

Corruption
Indonesia ranks as the world's 12th most corrupt country, according to Transparency International, a Berlin-based watchdog. The government, say critics, has failed to tackle entrenched graft

Human Rights
The Indonesian military has brutally suppressed separatist rebels in the western province of Aceh since martial law was declared there last year. Widespread human-rights abuses have been reported. Elsewhere in Indonesia, antigovernment protesters have been detained or jailed and press freedom has come under assault