SBY beats all odds as nominee of tiny party<\/p>\n
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
If anything, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has beaten the odds by
\nwinning the presidential election in comprehensive fashion with a
\ntiny political party.<\/p>\n
As pundits are busy searching for an explanation, it would be
\ngood to go back to the words of his biographer during a gathering
\nin March, when he said that Susilo himself would not be at all
\nsurprised at the result.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
"Because he knows his competence and he knows what people
\nreally want," Usamah Hisyam stated during the launching of SBY,
\nThe Democrat at the time.<\/p>\n
Panelists at the gathering agreed, and added that Susilo was a
\n"marketable" figure that could present a serious challenge to
\nother contenders, including the incumbent president Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, Wiranto and Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
Susilo has relied more on his management team than on his
\nnovice Democrat Party, which he set up to lobby other parties and
\nmass organizations.<\/p>\n
"We were able to get political and financial support from
\nminority parties, mass organizations and businesspeople to
\nrespond to people's need for a change," Lt. Gen. (ret.) M.
\nMa'roef, chief strategist of the Susilo-Kalla pair told The
\nJakarta Post last Friday.<\/p>\n
Ma'roef acknowledged that despite Susilo's good performance in
\nthe past it was not that easy to "sell" him, especially with the
\nlikes of other veteran civilian presidential hopefuls like
\nMegawati or Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
Susilo realized that he was not a candidate from a major
\nparty, he had no money to fund the campaign and that his military
\nbackground was an obstacle. "But, I'm optimistic that the people
\nwill give vote for me because they really want to see change,"
\nSusilo once said.<\/p>\n
He chose former coordinating minister for people's welfare
\nYusuf Kalla as his running mate, in part because Kalla had
\nestablished a reputation as successful business tycoon.<\/p>\n
Susilo's campaign management team attempted to show his
\n"civilized" and empathetic side during the campaigning and in his
\nmeetings with various groups in society, including informal
\nleaders and religious leaders to negate the image of a military
\nman.<\/p>\n
This method proved successful as he won the first round of
\nelection despite smear campaigns attacking him with well-
\npublicized lies and students and rights activists calling for an
\nend to all military politicians.<\/p>\n
Susilo's team published at least two other books: SBY &
\nResolusi Konflik (SBY and conflict resolution) and Sembilan
\nAlasan Memilih SBY (Nine reasons to vote for SBY). SBY, Sang
\nDemokrat depicts Susilo's childhood, military career and his
\nthoughts and SBY & Resolusi Konflik tells about SBY's role in
\nconflict resolutions in Papua, Sampit, Poso, Maluku and Aceh
\nduring his tenure as Cabinet minister under Abdurrahman Wahid and
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri.<\/p>\n
A. Yani Wahid, a co-author of SBY & Resolusi Konflik, said
\nSusilo's military background and strong leadership had played an
\nimportant role in his success, to some extent, in the resolution
\nof communal and sectarian conflicts in many regions in the past.<\/p>\n
He added that the adage, 'the stronger the wind blows the
\nfirmer the tree will stand' prevailed in Susilo's case.<\/p>\n
"The higher the position a man is occupying, the more
\ntemptation he will face, but he will certainly be stronger," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Susilo has weathered various attacks, including one about
\nbeing involved in the bloody siege of the Indonesian Democratic
\nParty (PDI) Headquarters involving Megawati's supporters in
\nCentral Jakarta on July 27, 1996. Other unsubstantiated rumors
\nhad him secretly negotiating with the United States during the
\n1999 East Timor mayhem.<\/p>\n
Having studied in and made numerous other visits to the United
\nStates, he has been accused of having a second citizenship in
\nthat country and of favoring diplomatic ties with Israel.<\/p>\n
Three days before the voting day, former Army chief R. Hartono
\naccused him of having married a girl from the Philippines in the
\n1970s while still a cadet at the Army Academy in Central Java.<\/p>\n
Susilo graduated from the Military Academy in 1973 and began
\nhis military career in the Army's Strategic Reserve Command
\nAirborne Division. He won a special award for good performance
\nand command in numerous military operations.<\/p>\n
Susilo, who was born in Pacitan, East Java, on Sept. 9, 1949,
\nwas the son of Soekotjo, a former military chief of Blitar
\ndistrict, and Siti Habibah. He was married to Kristiani Herawati,
\ndaughter of former commander of the Army Academy, Sarwo Edhie
\nWibowo. They have two sons, Agus Harimurthi Yudhoyono, now an
\nArmy serviceman and Eddhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, who is studying in
\nAustralia.<\/p>\n
Apart from several special forces training courses in the
\nUnited States, Susilo also had several overseas assignments under
\nthe UN umbrella, from 1995 to 1996, and earned a Master's Degree
\nfrom Webster University in the United States. Last week, he
\nfinished his doctorate program at the Bogor Institute of
\nAgriculture (IPB).<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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