SBY misses 100-day targets

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday celebrates his 100th day in office amid much criticism of his administration's failure to reach its proclaimed targets, mainly in reducing corruption and boosting the business and investment climate.

Himself unhappy with progress in corruption eradication, Susilo had a lengthy meeting on Thursday with Attorney General Abdulrahman Saleh, National Police Chief Gen. Dai Bachtiar and chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Taufiqurrahman Ruki.

At the meeting he ordered law enforcers to speed up investigations of existing corruption cases, saying he was "not satisfied". The anticorruption drive was at the top of his 100- day priority list.

On the business front, Susilo also seems to have missed his target of improving the economy. One indication is the slow return of investment and the continuously falling value of the rupiah.

Another indication is that none of the high-profile disputes involving foreign investors have been resolved.

The administration had targeted to settle disputes involving Cemex SA over the ownership of PT Semen Gresik, Karaha Bodas Company (KBC) over a failed geothermal power project, and ExxonMobil over the extension of the Cepu gas and oil field.

Commenting on the issue, economist Fauzi Ikhsan said the President had lost momentum in improving legal certainty and thus attracting foreign investors.

"The disputes have become a gauge of the government's seriousness in improving the investment climate," Fauzi said on Thursday.

In the eyes of the "opposition", notably the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Susilo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla had not yet capitalized on their strong positions as a president and vice president who had been directly elected by the people.

Kalla's new position as president of the Golkar party is also seen as a breakthrough opportunity for Susilo in dealing with the 550-strong House of Representatives dominated by Golkar and PDI- P, compared to the 55 seats of his own tiny Democratic Party.

"They no longer need to seek popularity," said PDI-P deputy secretary Pramono Anung on Thursday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Instead, they "need only to focus on their programs," he said. "They just need to do something that people can really see."

Those with a more positive view on Susilo have cited his "hard working" habits compared to his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri.