Profile - GURUH READY TO COMPETE WITH SISTER FOR PDIP HELM

Jakarta, Feb 4 (ANTARA) - Guruh Soekarnoputra on Thursday stated his readiness to compete with his elder sister, Megawati Soekarnoputri, for the position of the next chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDIP) for the 2010-2015 period.

"PDIP needs to change," Guruh said during a visit to ANTARA News Agency. By his statement, Guruh seemed to want to reiterate his commitment made last January 16, 2010 that he was ready to replace Megawati as the party's top leader.
He said his willingness to run for the party`s leadership was based upon his concern over the party`s poor performance in the last two general elections.

In 1999, PDIP garnered around 40 percent of vote but in 2004 the figure dropped to around 20 percent and in 2009 to around 14 percent.

Therefore, he said, a change must be made in the party`s leadership. Only then could PDIP regain its past glory and be in a position to realize the Independence Proclamation`s goals, namely to bring justice and prosperity.

Guruh said another reason why he would run for the position was that he had so far been active as a party executive board member and legislator since 1992.

He also said the present chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri, was already advanced in age, namely 63 years, and therefore a regeneration in the party leadership was in order to make the party again powerful and respected by the people.

If elected party leader at the PDIP Congress next April , he was ready "to become the people`s spokesman and fight for the fulfilment of the Message of the People`s Sufferings (Ampera)," he said.

Calling on the PDIP cadre to muster the courage to fight for change, he said he was fully prepared to become "the locomotive of change to the party as well as to the state and nation."
Guruh said his sister, Megawati who is the current PDIP leader, had since 2004 given him her blessing to rise to the party`s top position and, to that end, had advised him to reach out to the party`s grass-roots.

He said representatives of a number of PDIP provincial branches had many times approached him to express their support for his eventual bid for the PDIP helm. "So now, I am ready to go through the existing party mechanism for election to the party`s top post at the forthcoming congress," he said
When asked what he would do if Megawati Soekarnoputri would still seek reelection with majority support, Guruh said he would let her go ahead. "I will still run even if I were supported by just one regional branch board," he said.


Artist or politician?
Muhammad Guruh Irianto Soekarnoputra was born in Jakarta on January 13, 1953. He is the youngest son of Indonesia's first president Soekarno and a younger brother of Indonesia's fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Twenty years ago, Guruh Soekarnoputra was known as a multi talented artist. He started a career in the entertainment world as a choreographer, painter, singer, producer and song writer.

In his childhood, the founder of the Bung Karno Foundation already showed interest in the entertainment world, especially in traditional dances. He started to learn and finally performed on stage Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese traditional dances at the age of five.

In 1965, Guruh and his friends established a band named the Beat-G and 10 years later released a hit album dubbed "Guruh Gypsy" containing fusions of Balinese traditional music.
In 1977, he established a performing arts group called Swara Mahardika and later established a similar group called PT Gencar Semarak Perkasa (GSP) in 1989.

Apart from art shows Guruh also produces several semi-documentary films and became a film illustrator.

However, people must also notice that the youngest son of Indonesia's first president Soekarno has been on the politic stage since 1992. He started as a member of the House of Representatives for the periods 1992-1997, 1999-2004, 2004-2009, and 2009-2014.
Commenting on doubts certain quarters had expressed about his ability to lead the PDIP because he was basically an artist and not a politician, Guruh argued "art is just another tool for me to serve my country and its people. The same things are the goal of politics. I consider PDIP as a place for me to help the Indonesian people get a better deal, a prosperous life," he said.