A new dawn ahead?

A new dawn ahead?

With voting day in Indonesia's first direct presidential
elections just three days behind us and 13 more days to go before
the final results are made public, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who
by all counts is certain to win the race, is closeting himself
inside his home, quietly consulting with politicians and drafting
a Cabinet whose makeup he is expected to disclose immediately
after his installation by the national legislature on Oct. 5.
That is not only the sensible thing to do, but imperative under
the circumstances.

Nobody has any illusions about the formidable task that lies
ahead of the man who is shortly to become country's sixth
president -- certainly not the man himself. Despite the fact that
progress has been made under the leadership of President Megawati
Soekarnoputri since she took over the reigns of the
administration in 2001, economic growth has been limited to less
than 5 percent annually, 40 million Indonesians remain unemployed
and 16.7 percent of the people live below the poverty line.

Poverty can be seen everywhere one goes, corruption and
injustice continue to pervade almost every walk of life and
disillusionment with the reform movement that inspired so much
hope among the people at the time of the collapse of President
Soeharto's New Order regime in 1998 is a palpable reality all
across the country. Obviously, there is no time to be lost if the
incoming administration of Susilo is to avoid making the same
mistakes his predecessor made.

Like it or not, that is the country Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
stands to inherit when he takes over the reins of the
administration in 13 days.

In Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is more popularly known by
his initials SBY, Indonesians appear, for the moment, to be
fortunate indeed to have finally found a leader who inspires the
hope in people, and that he is well-equipped to take on the
challenges that lie ahead. That such an assessment of Susilo is
widely shared is reflected not only in his phenomenal election
victory, but also in the favorable way in which the markets have
reacted. The statements that he made during his campaign debates
and interviews seem to reveal a broad-minded rationality and an
all-inclusive predilection that fit the needs of this troubled
nation. His good understanding of economic issues will serve the
nation equally well, despite his well-known cautious approach to
settling social and political issues. Of course, whether or not
SBY will be able to honor the trust that the people have accorded
him is a question that only time can answer.

Time also will reveal the leeway that Susilo has in steering
his ship of governance through the sometimes treacherous waters
of Indonesian politics. He will, after all, have to honor the
debts he has contracted from his various supporters, not all of
whom may be seeing eye-to-eye with him on many issues. It is one
thing to know where to take the ship of state in the interest of
everyone on board. However, it is an entirely different matter to
be able to do so without rocking the boat too much.

All this is to say that Indonesians would do well to realize
that the election victory of Susilo in Indonesia's first direct
presidential election on Monday, beneficial as it could prove to
be for the nation, does not just mark the closure of a rather
disappointing period in their country's history. On the contrary.
it marks the beginning of a new period in their country's
history, led by a former Army general who is admittedly known for
his democratic ideas, but nevertheless one who rose through the
ranks of the military under the dictatorial regime of Soeharto's
New Order.

Ergo, it is important that Indonesians keep in mind that the
only genuine guarantee for a better and more democratic future,
one in which justice and prosperity for all prevail, lies in our
continued efforts to build a strong and healthy civil society to
keep the proper checks and balances in operation. It would, of
course, be greatly to his honor and credit if the incoming
president, Susilo, could contribute to the success of this grand
and noble effort.

In conclusion, it remains for us to remark on the huge
contribution that the outgoing president, Megawati Soekarnoputri,
has made towards the building of a democratic society in
Indonesia. The results of Monday's presidential election, and the
peaceful and orderly manner in which it was conducted, would not
have been possible without the groundwork that she laid and for
which she will always be remembered. It is no exaggeration to say
that all these developments of the past few days do indeed raise
the hope that a better future does indeed lie ahead of the
Indonesian nation, provided that we never stop working toward
that goal.