INDONESIA HOTLINE

AKARTA: Alternative-rock band Dewa 19's frontman Ahmad Dhani has invited former president Megawati Soekarnoputri to appear in a video clip of their new single "Perempuan Paling Cantik di Negeriku Indonesia" (The Most Beautiful Woman in My Country Indonesia), taken from the compilation album The Best of Republik Cinta (2008).

"We selected 29 women (to appear in our video clip). This was not an easy task because we had to choose women who were not only beautiful but also smart, and who had contributed positively to the country," Dhani, an admirer of Megawati's charismatic father Sukarno, was quoted as saying by detikhot.com.

Besides Megawati, Dhani said, the chosen females to appear in the video clip also included actress Christine Hakim, singer Vina Panduwinata, businesswoman Dewi Motik and singer Mulan Jameela.

The Best of Republik Cinta is the first compilation album produced by Republik Cinta Management, which is headed by Dhani. Dewa 19 plays three of the songs on the album, which also features Dewi-Dewi, Mulan Jameela, Andra and the Backbone and The Rock