Susilo to be judged by his deeds, not words
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to take office on Wednesday and before long he will have to start working and fulfilling the promises he and running-mate Jusuf Kalla made to the electorate during the election campaign.
Hopes are high that Susilo and Kalla will be able to deliver palpable improvements to the country's economy, which has still not fully recovered from the crisis that began to assail it in 1997.
Although the administration of the outgoing president, Megawati Soekarnoputri, can be credited with bringing about economic and political stability, what appears on the surface belies the actual reality. Job creation and corruption eradication, among other issues, remain the administration's weak spots.
Little wonder that in the campaign for the July 5 election, the Susilo-Kalla ticket pledged that creating more jobs and combating corruption would top their agenda.
They vowed to boost economic growth to 7.6 percent by the time their term had ended in 2009 from 4.1 percent in 2003 and to cut open unemployment in half to 5.1 percent in 2009 from 10.1 percent last year.
Susilo and Kalla also promised to reduce the poverty rate from 17.4 percent in 2003 to around 8.2 percent in 2009, and raise per capita income to US$1,731 in 2009 from $968 last year.
To narrow the gap between big business and small and medium enterprises, Susilo said these would be given more access to capital.
With regard to the stalled fight against corruption, Susilo said he would set up an anticorruption team that he himself would lead, since corruption was endemic in society.
He also said that other state institutions, especially the Supreme Audit Agency, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the legal system would be strengthened to wage war against corruption.
Admitting that the country's education system is a mess, Susilo said during a General Elections Commission (KPU)-sponsored televised dialog that his administration would in the next five years try hard to approach the 20 percent benchmark for government spending on education as mandated by the Constitution.
He said that meeting the constitutional requirement was within the government's grasp if the country's economy were to grow at a sufficient rate and his administration could boost efficiency.
To reach the target, Susilo said that his administration would, among other things, defer the construction of unnecessary buildings and the purchase of luxury cars for state officials. Fiscal expansion and the profits made by state-owned enterprises could be other sources of funding.
On terrorism, Susilo and Kalla emphasized the importance of close coordination between the security authorities and close cooperation between the authorities and the public.
Susilo said that besides improving the security authorities' capacity to launch security operations, Indonesia should also continue to enhance regional cooperation to counter terrorism and transnational crimes.
Despite his military background, Susilo said that he would promote a balance between security and liberty.
Susilo also said that he would gradually abolish the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s territorial role.