Cheerful Susilo gets victory munchies

Cheerful Susilo gets victory munchies

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

While well-heeled regents and governors here might think twice
about eating lunch at a humble food stall on a dusty road, it was
not so with an upbeat President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who
decided a Padang feed was the perfect antidote to a growling
stomach in Banten on Saturday.

The President and his entourage made the stop at the roadside
Famili Sakato stall on the way from Tangerang to Serang after
touring a former drug factory the police raided on Friday, the
third largest of its type ever found in the world.

Susilo's hunger proved that despite the large amounts of
ecstasy and crystal methamphetamine chemicals found scattered
around the factory, he had not inhaled. Neither had he succumbed
to a contact high -- ecstasy and speed being well known appetite-
suppressants.

He quickly devoured nearly all the spicy chicken pieces on
the table with his bare hands as local onlookers stared with
benign amusement.

The road to a man's heart, as the adage goes, is through his
stomach. And for Susilo, who has been under pressure recently
with the country's continuing economic woes and security
problems, it might have been the happiest day ever during his 13
months in power.

And the President has good reason to pleased.

Many of his recent worries have been assuaged by two pieces of
good news within just a week: the slaying of alleged organizer of
the country's deadliest terrorist network, Malaysian national
Azahari bin Husin, and the successful police drug raid.

Susilo visited the factory, located in Tegal village, Serang,
to tour the facilities and get first-hand information about the
police operation.

Along the way to the factory, Susilo wound down the
bulletproof windows of his car to wave to the watching crowds --
a rare move that visibly spooked several presidential guards and
local police.

Inside the factory complex, Susilo congratulated officials
from the National Police, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and
the Australian, Hong Kong and Taiwanese police forces for their
success.

On Friday, police arrested 13 people in connection with the
raid, including foreign nationals from France, the Netherlands
and China. Officers have also detained an Indonesian, Benny
Sudrajat, who is believed to be running the operation here. The
factory had an installed capacity to produce one million ecstasy
tablets a week worth some Rp 100 billion (US$9.8 million), with
most of the pills exported to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia.

"The success should not stop here. Officials at all levels of
the administration should intensify efforts to foil the three
most important crimes; terrorism, drug trafficking and
corruption. This week's successes are just a start," Susilo said.

Earlier in the morning, Susilo had talked of the operations to
an international delegation of the Asian Forum of
Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD).

Nearly half of his speech to the group was devoted to the
chronology of the police raids and how they could affect the
country's future development.

"Just two days ago, our police successfully killed the most
dangerous terrorists in the region, Dr. Azahari and his
associates ... It is definitely our biggest counterterrorism
achievement this year, and I do hope all of you can sleep better
tonight," Susilo said, smiling.

"And just last night, I received a report from the police
chief about the raid on the country's largest ecstasy factory and
the foiling of the drug trafficking network."

With these successes, in addition to his full stomach, Susilo
is likely to sleep well tonight.