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.