Susilo must maintain his popularity<\/p>\n
Muhammad Qodari, Jakarta<\/p>\n
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, familiarly known as SBY,
\nsurprised many when he said, \"I don't care about my popularity\"
\n(The Jakarta Post, Feb. 4). This is quite astonishing as SBY is
\nthe first Indonesian president to be elected through a direct
\nelection where the popularity of the candidates is the most
\nimportant factor.<\/p>\n
Does he no longer care about his popularity as he is already
\nthe president?<\/p>\n
There are of course a number of possible reasons why President
\nSusilo made the statement. Given the timing and context of the
\nstatement, we may take it to be a defense against the criticisms
\nand abuse directed at him by a number of experts and politicians,
\nwho claimed that Susilo had failed to do a good job during his
\nfirst 100 days in power.<\/p>\n
The statement may also have been a defense -- or denial --
\nagainst the results of opinion polls conducted by a number of
\norganizations to the effect that the President's satisfaction
\nratings had declined significantly since his inauguration on Oct.
\n20 last year. Two opinion polls worth citing here are those
\nconducted by Kompas daily and the Indonesian Survey Institute.<\/p>\n
Kompas published the findings of its polls held one month,
\ntwo months and 100 days after SBY took power. These polls show
\nthat SBY's popularity has steadily declined over time.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the polls conducted by the LSI paint a somewhat
\ndifferent picture. It is true that the public's job approval
\nrating for the President has decreased significantly from
\napproximately 80 percent in November to 67 percent in December
\nlast year. However, the figure was still much the same a month
\nlater, and a survey conducted by the Media Group in cooperation
\nwith the LSI in January 2005 showed that public satisfaction with
\nSBY had even increased slightly to 69 percent.<\/p>\n
It is also possible that the President wanted to show his
\nresolve as a decision maker in running the government and
\ncountry. By making the statement, he wanted people to know that
\neven though his policies may cost him popularity, he will still
\npress ahead regardless if he deems the policy to be necessary.<\/p>\n
The upcoming increase in fuel prices could well turn out to be
\nan example of this kind of unpalatable but necessary policy.<\/p>\n
The recent decision to raise education standards by requiring
\nstudents all over Indonesia to sit a standardized school leaving
\nexamination is another controversial issue the government faces.<\/p>\n
To defend oneself against criticism is normal, not only for
\nthe ordinary man in the street, but also for a president. Trying
\nto project firmness is a very good approach for a leader often
\naccused of being hesitant, such as Susilo. But saying \"I don't
\ncare about my popularity\" in public is obviously not the best
\napproach to political communication by a president.<\/p>\n
Every political leader, particularly a president, must always
\nbe concerned about his popularity.<\/p>\n
The experiences of Susilo's two immediate predecessors serve
\nas good examples of how popularity matters. Indonesia's first
\nsemi-democratically elected president, Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus
\nDur as he is familiarly known, did not rise to power by direct
\nelection, but the public cheered him anyway when he became
\npresident as he was well-known as a humanist, a moderate Muslim
\nleader and something of a raconteur. But soon Gus Dur lost his
\npopularity as he often made controversial utterances, indulged
\nhimself in too many foreign journey, frequently changed his
\nCabinet lineup and got involved in various scandals, most
\nimportantly, alleged involvement in the misuse of budget funds.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur showed that he did not care about what people thought
\nof him by often saying Gitu Aja Kok Repot, which literally means,
\n\"Why get upset over trivial matters?\" At first, this sort of
\ncomment from Gus Dur was considered funny. Later on, however,
\npeople started to get annoyed. Gus Dur created more and more
\nenemies among the political elite, who then proceeded to plot his
\ndownfall through an impeachment process in the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR). Some student groups also took to the
\nstreets demanding the resignation of the president.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur's successor, President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
\ndiffered in many ways from her former boss. But she resembled him
\nin one crucial aspect: She did not care very much about
\npopularity. This was shown by her aloof, non-communicative
\nleadership style.<\/p>\n
Megawati only started courting popularity as the presidential
\nelection drew near. She even changed her style after polls showed
\nthat her popularity had slumped compared to her challenger,
\nSusilo, who was her own former senior security minister. She
\nbecame more willing to talk to the public and tried to win the
\nfavor of journalists. But the changes were too little, too late
\nfor Megawati.<\/p>\n
While there will be no more national elections for the
\nimmediate future, this does not mean than Susilo can afford to
\nignore his popularity ratings. Susilo comes from a party with
\na relatively a small number of seats in the House of
\nRepresentatives. It is from the people Susilo must primarily seek
\nhis support. Support from the people is particularly important
\nwhen a government wishes to implement controversial policies,
\nsuch as fuel price hikes and the setting of higher national
\neducation standards. If the public oppose these policies and take
\nto the streets, the opposition will find itself on solid ground
\nin launching attacks on the government.<\/p>\n
Susilo does not have to sacrifice his popularity in order to
\nbe a firm and resolute president. He can be firm as well as
\npopular at the same time. He can do this provided that
\nunpalatable but necessary policies are communicated properly to
\nthe public and the government offers compensatory packages to
\noffset the adverse consequence that these policies may cause. A
\ngood president is one who is able to garner the support of the
\npeople. Susilo managed to do this during the presidential
\nelection campaign. Now he has to ensure that his popularity is
\nmaintained.<\/p>\n
The writer is deputy executive director of the Indonesian
\nSurvey Institute (LSI).<\/p>",
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