On the Selves<\/p>\n
SBY, Sang Democrat (SBY, a Democrat)<\/p>\n
By Usamah Hisyam, et al<\/p>\n
Dharmapena Publishing,<\/p>\n
Jakarta, March 2004<\/p>\n
xx + 1,003 pp<\/p>\n
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the man who would be king, or at
\nleast president, of this nation. Popularly known simply as SBY,
\nthe fatherly figure is ahead in the polls as the people's choice
\nfor the presidential elections in July; this biography, written
\nin friendly hands, is designed to put him in his best light.<\/p>\n
He was born in 1949 in Pacitan, a small town in Central Java.
\nHis father, Soekotjo, was a low-ranking military officer while
\nhis mother, Siti Habibah, is a housewife. In Javanese the words
\n\"susilo\", \"bambang\" and \"yudhoyono\" respectively mean \"over\",
\n\"loyalty\" and \"war victory\", and Soekotjo hoped that his son
\nwould be \"someone who is loyal and can win every battle\".<\/p>\n
An only child, SBY joined the military academy in Magelang,
\nCentral Java, after completing high school and graduated top of
\nhis class in 1973. Much earlier than his peers, he was named a
\ncompany commander. Later he was the best graduate from the staff
\nand command college, and quickly rose through the ranks to
\npositions of responsibility.<\/p>\n
Although some of his peers have reportedly dismissed him as an
\n\"AC general\" because he did not make his mark on the battlefield,
\nothers have lauded his talent and personality. \"Yudhoyono's
\nprogress is attributed to his own capability, not because of
\nother people,\" said Gen. Feisal Tanjung.<\/p>\n
His first military assignment was in East Timor. He became
\nknown for his wise attitude in facing the guerrillas but
\npreventing abuse by his men. SBY spent many months in East Timor,
\nengaging himself both in the battlefield and in high-level
\ndiplomacy.<\/p>\n
Also detailed in this biography is his relationship with other
\ngenerals during the difficult days of the May 1998 riots, his
\nserving in the Cabinets of both Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid and
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri and his close relationship with United
\nNations Secretary-General Kofi Annan from his East Timor days.<\/p>\n
On Sept. 9, 2001, he inaugurated the establishment of the
\nDemocratic Party. The party, with its declaration of a new vision
\nfor Indonesia, has struck a chord with Indonesians disappointed
\nwith the same old offerings from the same old politicians.<\/p>\n
Usamah Hisyam, a former journalist of Matra and Media
\nIndonesia and the biographer of Feisal Tanjung and Admiral Widodo
\nAS, also served as a member of the House of Representatives from
\nthe United Development Party (PPP). He was close to SBY when the
\nlatter was assistant in charge of social and political affairs to
\nthe chief-of-staff of the Army for social and political affairs.<\/p>\n
The book provides a lot of information about SBY but,
\nunfortunately and inevitably, lacks independence. It will please
\nhis followers but it does not go far enough in exploring the
\nvision of statesmanship of the man, for a future leader must have
\na good comprehension of the nation, not just its territorial
\nmatters.<\/p>\n
-- Basilius Triharyanto<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-the-selves-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }