Susilo's great opportunity
Congratulations are in order to president-elect, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. On Oct. 4, he was finally confirmed as the overwhelming victor in Indonesia's first direct elections for the post.
Incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri indirectly conceded defeat on Oct. 5, tearfully calling on Indonesians to accept the election result, although without explicitly acknowledging she had lost. That opens the path for the former security minister to begin the task of forming a new government, ahead of his inauguration on Oct. 20.
It's a crucial task which will offer the first indication of how ready Indonesia's first popularly elected president is to break with the backroom politics of the past. He is in a position to use his overwhelming mandate to step up the fight against terrorism while also pushing through other much-needed changes, from combating corruption to overhauling labor laws.
Some early indications are encouraging. Susilo wants to conduct formal interviews with the candidates for key portfolios and require appointees to sign a contract spelling out their commitment to their duties. He's also pledged that the new cabinet will include more technocrats, chosen for their expertise rather than their political affiliation -- which has been the main criteria for appointment until now.
Among the most closely watched appointments will be his choices of a new attorney general and a minister for justice. Indonesian and foreign observers-alike will be hoping to see the appointment of strong-willed individuals who will initiate the sweeping reforms that are needed to overhaul a legal system plagued by widespread corruption and often inexplicable court verdicts.
Equally important will be whether the new president appoints a team of reformist-minded economic ministers, capable of overhauling labor laws and other restrictive regulations that have done so much to discourage foreign investment. But foreign investors are not going to return in any large numbers for as long as they fear being blown up in the heart of Jakarta -- a risk highlighted by the bomb that exploded outside the Australian embassy during the election campaign, killing 10 people.
So we'll also be watching for any sign the new president will intensify the fight against Indonesia's Islamic extremists by formally outlawing Jamaah Islamiyah, the al-Qaeda affiliate believed responsible for this and other attacks, and closing the handful of Muslim boarding schools where it recruits suicide bombers.
Susilo showed little enthusiasm for such measures when he served as Megawati's security minister, prior to his resignation in March. We hope the overwhelming popular mandate he has received since then, which gives Susilo an authority his predecessor lacked, has changed his mind. But his cabinet lineup will be a crucial indicator of whether such hopes are warranted.
While his need for political leverage in parliament is understandable it can be hoped that his cabinet will be made up of ministers of proven ability, aside from party affiliation. He will need an able cabinet if he is to take a strong stance on a wide range of issues -- particularly fighting terrorism and corruption -- that are likely to prove highly controversial in some political circles. At worst, the new president could be dragged down the path of trading cabinet posts for political support that discredited Megawati's administration in the eyes of the Indonesian public.
Susiloo was elected because the voters were fed up with political horse trading. His constituents are the Indonesian public, not a parliament that enjoys far less popular support. By far the best strategy would be to ignore the clamor from politicians bent on preserving their privileges, and stick to appointing talented individuals untainted by involvement in previous administrations. Only then will we able to congratulate him on ending the country's backroom politics and having a real chance of pushing through the sweeping refort as that Indonesia so desperately needs. -- The Asian Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong