Beware of distractions

Some legislators are quite busy these days. They are preparing to question the President over video conferences he held in the United States when he was there last week.

More than a dozen legislators from a range of factions, including the biggest faction, the Golkar Party, are planning to file a motion to question Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono over the conferences. This act known as an interpellation motion, requires 17 legislators and the approval of the House of Representatives (DPR) to go ahead.

The legislators said the distance meeting with ministers in Jakarta, which cost an estimated Rp 500 million or about US$50,000, was a waste of public money because there were no urgent matters to discuss. They also said the conferences were an insult to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who acts as the caretaker head of state when Susilo is away.

We beg to differ.

First, one should examine these long-distance Cabinet meetings -- we will ignore top officials' claims they were not Cabinet meetings -- led by Susilo, which were obviously a reflection of his feelings of responsibility and concern for what was going on back home. Rather than resenting the video conferences, we should be thankful to have someone in charge who is connected with his job so intently.

Susilo must have been well aware that he needed to keep abreast with a number of issues when he began his one-week trip to the United States on Sept. 10. Moreover, following issues closely from one day to another is different from passively waiting until something serious happens. It is something like taking precautionary measures and, in fact, a prudent thing to do in a country like Indonesia, which is besieged by so many problems.

Second, technology is a fact of life. Video conferences are only one of the latest innovations, and like other previous inventions, they will soon become familiar. Examples abound from telephones to cellphones, from CDs to computer laptops. Technology is there to be exploited. Making an issue of this subject amounts to crying foul over a trifle. As Kalla has rightly said with regard to the video conferences, their benefits exceeds their costs.

Third, a leader should have the privilege to create his or her own leadership style. Keeping abreast of whatever is going on in the country is what constitutes Susilo's style. His style does not have to be similar to those of other leaders. Speculation that the video conferences were a reflection of his lack of trust in Kalla does not help at all, nor it is relevant. Kalla, himself, has rejected such assumptions.

Susilo, seemingly irritated by the criticism, ordered the cancellation of the remaining two-out-of-five scheduled video conferences on the grounds that he was "busy preparing" his speech for the UN World Summit.

It would be better if the House busied itself with other more pressing problems than questioning the President over these conferences. That would be a waste of time and energy. It would be wiser for legislators to use their precious time to address other issues, such as finalizing the many overdue draft bills due for deliberation.

To be fair, criticism leveled at the conferences did not come only from legislators but also from other parties, including political observers and the media.

Certain media seemed to be focusing less on the substance of the visit than the sideline issues.

Judging from the mountain of problems facing the government; from bird flu to skyrocketing oil prices; from the slow return of foreign investors to the weakening of the rupiah against other currencies; it is not a good time for bickering.

The government and the people are bracing for difficult times ahead. The government has to deal with the likely political fallout from its tough decision to raise fuel prices, a necessary action to free the nation from the effects of the hugely expensive fuel subsidies, while at the same time it must also ensure that the poor are properly looked after. Some ministers are also counting down their days, as Susilo is scheduled to reshuffle the Cabinet on Oct. 20, a promise he made a year ago to rid the Cabinet of under-performing ministers. And the people, meanwhile, will have to face the impact of the fuel price hikes head on.