Susilo and the art of acting presidentially

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

If U.S. President Ronald Reagan was known as the great communicator, dare we say that for Indonesians, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the great performer.

He has some way to go to match first President Sukarno's eloquence and persuasiveness, but Susilo is on par with Soeharto in delivering a compelling public performance. The difference being the former commanded attention via fear, while Susilo does so by choreography.

Americans blazed the way for the evolution of politics as entertainment. Where the hair dryer is as influential as the microphone. So it is not surprising that Indonesia's first democratically elected president is the most image-conscious in the nation's history.

Having ascended the pyramid of power via public empathy rather than political alliances, Susilo understands the power of public persuasion.

It may be an intrinsic trait of the president himself, nevertheless Susilo's education as a military officer -- where public speaking and ceremony is an integral part of the curriculum -- certainly helps to project himself regally.

Consultants have helped polish his demeanor to be a leader with dignity and power, yet someone still seen as approachable. It has been an A-plus public relations job. In seven months as president, Susilo has mastered the art of coming across as presidential.

He is the first president who truly understands that perception, not substance of policy, is the most important weapon in politics -- where looking good can be more important than actually doing anything substantially good!

His use of a teleprompter during the Asian-African Summit -- the first time an Indonesian president has used one -- in Bandung was another sign of image awareness.

Since assuming office in October, the president has made frequent site inspections in different areas of the country. These impromptu visits are intended to gather firsthand information about the workings of a particular office or the ground conditions in the wake of a certain issue.

He visited a fishing village on the heels of the fuel price hikes in March, talking to locals about the impact of fuel hikes. He even went so far as to buy fish from fishermen. The act of pulling out his wallet and personally paying cash to personally pay for the catch was a golden photo-op for the pre-assembled journalists.

A symbolic gesture of getting his leather shoes dirty, and handing out money to those in need.

One cannot help but ask whether all our presidents carried cash in their wallet on a daily basis?

Most recently the president visited Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to inspect, among other things, the work of the immigration office there, the departure tax, or fiskal, payment and the Migrant Workers Terminal. Not surprisingly, he seemed disappointed at a number of the things he witnessed.

Such impromptu visits are a welcome sign of a president making an effort to show that he cares. To gather directly unflattering facts without the filters of the "yes men" who are only to eager to paint rosy pictures for the president.

But once again it begs the question: Is Susilo and his group of aides so out of touch in their ivory tower that the president himself has to learn about these issues, which are open secrets to the public?

If that is the case, then there is something irreparably wrong with the bureaucracy.

On a more positive note, his visits will be helpful in prodding cosmetic changes, at the very least. Status certainly adds something to persuasiveness. As Richard E. Neustadt in his landmark study of presidential power suggests, "presidential power may be inconclusive when a president commands, but always relevant when he persuades."

It certainly will not be long before the immigration office at the airport gets a new Pentium-4 computer, to replace the snail's pace PC inspected by the president.

Going down to the people further adds emphasis to the president's own political power. The prevailing impression of a president's public standing tends to set a tone and to define the limits of what legislators and political opponents will do for or against him.

These experiences foster tolerance toward him.

There is nothing wrong with maintaining a high public profile, as Susilo has done. The danger emerges when "shaking hands and kissing babies", and not policy initiatives, becomes the mainstay of the presidency.

One can only fake it for so long. Eventually, salesmanship cannot compete with life.

It is good that Susilo is showing that he cares. We would be even more enthusiastic if he eventually cares to do something about it.