Thus, it begins<\/p>\n
While it offered little that was exceptional in this kind of
\naddress, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inaugural speech
\ngave us a picture of the concerns foremost in his mind.<\/p>\n
However, it might be noted that, contrary to custom, Susilo
\ndelivered his address only a few hours after his installation
\nyesterday at the State Palace, instead of before a plenary
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
As can be expected under the circumstances, the concerns he
\nexpressed are not much different from those that faced previous
\npresidents since the fall of Soeharto in 1998.<\/p>\n
A host of issues -- from the flagging economy to unemployment,
\nfrom a prevailing environment of injustice and corruption to lack
\nof good governance, and from foreign debt to the soaring global
\nprice of oil -- all were issues that received prominent mention
\nin the president's inaugural address.<\/p>\n
...Which is all good and well, of course. However, the
\nquestion on the tip of the tongue of almost every Indonesian, now
\nthat the first burst of euphoria is over, is whether the new
\npresident will be able to live up to the expectations that his
\npublic image of strength and intellectuality has raised among the
\nmillions who voted him into office.<\/p>\n
Not only must he confront the formidable issues above, but he
\nmust also win the support of the House of Representatives --
\nwhich is not controlled by either his Democratic Party nor the
\nPeople's Coalition that supports him. Clearly, it will take a
\ngood deal of tact, as well as decisiveness and plain adroitness,
\non the part of President Susilo to push his policies through.<\/p>\n
In all fairness, though, it must be said that the new
\npresident has not let his electorate down so far. True to his
\nearlier promise to set a new political tradition for Indonesia,
\nSusilo began his speech by thanking his predecessor, Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, whom he would \"always respect\" for her efforts
\nthat made a peaceful, democratic and orderly transition of
\ngovernments possible. By doing so, the President said, Indonesia
\nhad not only proved to itself that it was capable of applying
\ndemocracy, but it had also set an example for the world.<\/p>\n
Susilo promised the peoples of Indonesia that he would serve
\nas a true \"president of the people\" and stand above the interests
\nof any group or individual for the duration of his tenure. He
\nalso promised he would strive to establish good governance and
\npersonally lead the fight against corruption.<\/p>\n
Analysts, however, warn that this could prove to be one of the
\ngreatest stumbling blocks the new president will have to
\novercome. For this reason, Susilo's choice of a new attorney
\ngeneral and police chief is widely regarded as crucial, and their
\nperformance over the first 100 days in office is certain to be
\nfollowed closely.<\/p>\n
The new president also had a few words of assurance for the
\ninternational community as well, pledging that the country would
\ncontinue to pursue peace and justice in its foreign policy.<\/p>\n
In an apparent effort to allay fears in the international
\ncommunity that Indonesia might one day shift its stance and
\nbecome more radical in its religious outlook, he declared that
\nthe country would always maintain a modern, pluralist and
\ntolerant stance -- a stance that is anchored in the nation's
\ndiverse cultures and traditions.<\/p>\n
To summarize, while it cannot be said that President Susilo
\nhas offered anything that can be called unusual, dramatic or even
\nsensational in his inaugural address yesterday, it nevertheless
\nconstituted a delivery of reassurances aimed at both the
\nIndonesian public and the international community.<\/p>\n
Megawati's inaugural speech, of course, was no different, but
\nthe administration under her and Hamzah Haz did not succeed in
\nsome of the tasks with which it was entrusted, such as
\neradicating corruption -- and the failure of the anticorruption
\ndrive under Megawati was a major driving force that contributed
\nto Susilo's landslide victory in the Sept. 20 election.<\/p>\n
The apparent lesson that must be learned by President Susilo
\nand Vice President Kalla from this failure is that they must be
\nmore persistent and determined in fulfilling their promises and
\nthe people's expectations for sweeping change and reform.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thus-it-begins-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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