Susilo must improve leadership style: Analyst

Susilo must improve leadership style: Analyst

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With or without a Cabinet reshuffle, the administration would not
be effective unless President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could
improve his qualities as a leader, a leading political analyst
told a discussion on Friday.

Ikrar Nusa Bhakti of the National Institute of Sciences (LIPI)
said a Cabinet reshuffle would make little difference if the
President failed to display leadership skills.

"If Susilo's style in managing his administration remains the
same, no change will appear. We have a president, but not a
leader" and Susilo's much-criticized indecisiveness was to blame,
he said.

This inability to come to a quick decision was shown in
Susilo's slowness to reform the Cabinet a year after taking
office, despite an earlier pledge to do so, Ikrar said.

While a reshuffle was the President's prerogative, Ikrar said
Susilo was relying too much on political parties to maintain
support.

Pressure for the President to reshuffle Cabinet, especially
the economics ministers, has been growing after skyrocketing
inflation caused by the fuel price hikes has dampened growth and
led to increased unemployment.

There is also concern that some ministers are abusing their
positions to advantage their own business groups or families.

Political parties are currently engaged in lobbying the
President over increased membership in Cabinet, while the
president had earlier been in favor of professional rather than
political appointees.

Burhanuddin Napitupulu, a Golkar Party leader, said the
President was creating too many opportunities for discussions
with political parties.

"He lets too many options in, opens too many doors for
political parties to come in and make requests," he said.
Burhanuddin said Golkar would most likely not submit any
candidates to the President despite being the largest party in
the House.

"Us being the largest party and having our chairman (Jusuf
Kalla) as the Vice President is enough for us to influence the
government's policies," Burhanuddin added.

Ikrar said the formation of a coalition Cabinet with a
political contract seemed to be inevitable, but warned it was not
something that the public wanted to witness.

"The public doesn't want to see if the parties support the
President, but whether the promises (Cabinet) once bragged about
will come true. These requests for ministerial posts will only
add to the public's distrust of parties," he said.

Zulkiflimansyah, a deputy of the Prosperous Justice Party
(PKS), agreed that a coalition Cabinet was unavoidable.

However, he believed that accommodating political parties was
the only way a stable and viable Cabinet could be formed