Dear Mr. President:

First of all, congratulations Mr. President! You already have your place in history assured as the first directly and democratically elected leader of Indonesia. That is a matter of record for encyclopaedias and history books of the future; how the history books report the success or failure of this great mandate is entirely in your hands now.

You have said the right things since your inauguration; we can see that you can talk the talk. You have announced that you will personally lead the battle against corruption. Given our confidence in you and the level of support you have in these invigorating times, that in itself is cause for jubilation. For, make no mistake, it will take a strong leader and one with great public support to win that battle.

As a military man, you know what it is like to face a decisive battle; you know that the future of millions of people, indeed the future of Indonesia herself, depends on the outcome of the confrontation that is about to take place. You know this; that is presumably why you announced your intention to take personal command of this struggle. You will now also walk the walk.

You have enormous popular support for an enormously popular cause. This is the window of opportunity this country has needed for centuries in order to strike a fatal blow against the evil of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). We urge you to attack while the advantages we hold are at their maximum. Use the moral high ground, use the people's weariness of corruption, use your popularity, use your mandate to strike hard and fast. And do not relent. The battle will be bloody and there will be casualties. That is as it should be. But a half-hearted or indifferent approach will lose the battle. For this battle to be won there must be total commitment.

The people of Indonesia want you to succeed in your mandate. The people of Indonesia deserve to have the great leader we know you can be. There is nothing the people of this country want more than to have your name become synonymous with the rebirth of Indonesia as a modern, just and democratic country.

Employ the great power we have given you; turn your popularity and your mandate towards this task and deal with the shame of KKN in a tremendous cleansing effort. Once the stables have been cleared out, we will be able to get on with the real task of turning Indonesia into the country she can be.

PATRICK GUNTENSPERGER Jakarta