Susilo in control, but tougher challenges ahead

Susilo in control, but tougher challenges ahead

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite a number of decisions that many consider burdensome to
the public during his first year in office, President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono has managed to keep his support intact.

The latest survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Circle
(LSI) confirmed on Wednesday that Susilo remains popular, albeit
to a lesser degree than when catapulted to the presidency last
year. But stiffer challenges lie ahead, especially given that
some of his policies will provide ammunition to opposition
groups.

Of 1,000 respondents surveyed after the new fuel prices took
effect, 52.4 percent expressed support for Susilo, the first
directly elected president in the country's history. Over 61
percent of voters opted for Susilo and his running mate Jusuf
Kalla in the presidential election runoff in September last year.

The LSI, which almost precisely predicted Susilo's winning
margin in the presidential election, attributed the decline in
support to the government's decision to raise fuel prices by an
average of 126 percent earlier this month, the second hike Susilo
has imposed in the first year of his term.

A series of natural disasters also contributed to his
declining popularity, the survey said.

"Without any significant changes, SBY will continue to lose
popularity in line with worsening perceptions of the national
economy," LSI executive director Denny J.A. said.

Denny said that the next three months would be the most
difficult period for Susilo as the full effects of the fuel hikes
started to bite.

"The majority of respondents are of the opinion that the
economy is in a poor state following the fuel price hikes, and
this discontent is quite susceptible to political shifts," he
said.

The survey revealed that 51.7 percent of respondents were
against the fuel price hikes.

"It is not impossible for opposition groupings to gain strong
political support from the grassroots if they exploit the issue
in their political campaigns," Denny added.

The LSI recommended that in order to survive the remainder of
their terms, Susilo and Kalla should change the way they operate
and reshuffle the Cabinet to boost the government's capabilities.

"The President should make more public appearances, while the
Vice President stays in the background, as U.S. President George
W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney did in 2000," Denny said.

"Both Susilo and Kalla have their own styles in running the
government. Susilo behaves like an intellectual but is quite slow
in making decisions, while Kalla is a deal-maker and innovator,
and is courageous and quick in making decisions. The different
leadership styles, the duo's less than harmonious relationship,
the issue of incompetent ministers and certain ministers'
conflicting interests have contributed to the government's bad
image."

Denny, however, declined to suggest which ministers should be
replaced and who would be suitable to replace them.

As if to respond to the critics, Susilo said he would focus on
the rolling out of nine years' free education, improvement in
health services, and the creation of more jobs in the second year
of his term.

"We must pay attention to 2006 after getting through a
difficult year in 2005," Susilo said at the State Palace.

Susilo promised to fulfill the constitutional imperative
requiring the government to allocate 20 percent of the state
budget to education.