A matter of decorum

A matter of decorum

Unfortunate as the course of events may have been, Indonesians
have reason to welcome Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's decision to
quit his post as coordinating minister for political and security
affairs in President Megawati Soekarnoputri's cabinet.
For one thing, the addition of the former coordinating minister
to the campaign trail widens the choices available to voters in
the first direct presidential election, scheduled for later this
year. For another, it has brought to an end the uneasy
relationship between the head of government and one of her key
assistants, which had been troubling the cabinet for some time.

Susilo's decision to resign from the cabinet and pursue his
own political ambition is, of course, fully within his rights as
a citizen of democratic Indonesia. Under the circumstances, it
was also the only proper decision for him to make. In retrospect,
if the episode was cause for any regret, it would only be that
the matter was not handled more gracefully. A proper observance
of the necessary political proprieties involved -- on all sides
-- would certainly have avoided unnecessary ill feeling and would
have provided the public with a valuable example of the practice
of democracy.

Talk of the strained relationship between the President and
Susilo surfaced with public awareness of his political ambition.
Although at that time there was no sign of tension, and no formal
word was heard from Susilo, it can assumed that the presence of a
potential presidential candidate from another political party in
her cabinet put Megawati in an awkward position. But serious
friction could have been prevented at that stage had Susilo
openly told the President of his plans.

More damage was done when late last year, on his way to the
United States to attend a meeting on antiterrorism, Susilo
thought it prudent to meet former president BJ Habibie in
Germany, at his own initiative. Susilo did not inform his
superior, the President, of his changed itinerary. While there is
nothing wrong with one citizen visiting another, neither Habibie
nor Susilo can be considered ordinary citizens. Susilo was on an
official trip to the United States on state business. As for
Habibie, through a statement he made while on a trip home to
Jakarta that he was ready to serve the nation once again "should
duty call," the former president made it clear to the public that
he too had political ambitions. Again, misunderstanding and more
serious friction between Susilo and his direct superior,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, could have been avoided if he
had let the President know of his changed itinerary, and for what
reason it was changed.

All that, of course, is now water under the bridge. The damage
has been done. However, we should also note that President
Megawati also had the chance to prevent the affair from becoming
a public drama. As chief executive she could have summoned her
coordinating minister to discuss the matter within the cabinet.
In recent days she refused to adequately respond to Susilo's
request for a face-to-face meeting to clear up the affair. Then,
to add insult to injury, Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, made
his widely publicized remark that Susilo was "childish." The
remark was unnecessary and caused great resentment among Susilo's
camp.

However, now that all is said and done, the best thing for
Indonesians to do is to adopt an "all's well that ends well"
attitude. For those who are interested in taking up a political
career in the coming years, the lesson that can learned from this
episode is that political decorum is still a valuable tool. The
sort of politiek fatsoen (political ethics) our founding fathers
used to practice as a matter of course in their political
communication can still be instrumental today to avoid much
unnecessary friction and misunderstanding, which can only serve
to disturb the nation.