JAKARTA - A HUNDRED thousand supporters flocked to the capital's main stadium for the final campaign rally of presidential hopeful Megawati Sukarnoputri last week.

The two-storey stage was surrounded by rice paddies planted on the gravel floor, symbolising her pro-farmer platform.

One of Indonesia's top bands, Radja, and the country's most popular singers, known as the Three Dieva, provided the entertainment.

The musicians performed on the lower part of the stage.

Ms Megawati and her running mate, former general Prabowo Subianto, spoke from the top stage.

'The current government has failed to fulfil the wishes of the Indonesian people,' Mr Prabowo told the crowd, which cheered in agreement.

'Prices of staple foods have jumped 300 per cent in the past five years, while foreign debt has increased by 400 trillion rupiah.' The amount is equivalent to S$56.8 billion.

Ms Megawati, who gave a much shorter speech, said her running mate would be a strong vice-president if they are elected.

He would 'lead new programmes to make changes in areas from unemployment to poverty reduction', she said.

In her bid to get Mr Prabowo on her ticket, she agreed to let him make key economic decisions in their pro-poor, pro-wong cilik (or small people) plans for development.

Read the full story in The Sunday Times.