Susilo's win good for democracy

Susilo's win good for democracy

The Nation, Asia News Network, Bangkok

The expected landslide victory of former general Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono in Indonesia is significant for two reasons:
First, it shows that despite myriad problems afflicting the
world's most populous Muslim country, democracy is working well.
Second, the new leader may well put Indonesia back on track as a
key player within ASEAN. Democracy in Indonesia since the
downfall of President Soeharto has been erratic, facing numerous
stumbling blocks.

Over the past seven years, each of the four presidents who has
in rapid succession taken a turn at the helm has been either
dysfunctional or incompetent. The latest president, Megawati
Soekarnoputri, was one of the worst. During her three and a half
years in power, she failed to bring prosperity, stability or
security to Indonesia. The country's economic development has
been abysmal, which should not surprise anyone, as corruption in
Indonesia is perceived to have increased under her leadership.

Meanwhile, the existence of militant Muslim groups, some of
which include known terrorists as members, has been tolerated.
These groups have arguably been allowed to thrive. Under her
indecisive leadership, terrorists proceeded to wreak havoc on
Indonesia's national security by launching devastating bombing
attacks in Bali and in the capital city.

Worse, the lack of understanding of the act of governance that
she displayed during the recent TV debates was appalling. Many
pundits are saying her TV appearances and naivety were the
biggest factors contributing to her resounding defeat at the
polls.

With Susilo, a former security minister, as president,
Indonesia's national security and political stability will be
greatly enhanced. As the country's first popularly elected leader
-- who enters office on the wave of a very large margin in terms
of votes -- he has a full mandate to shape up this traditionally
moderate Muslim nation.

His rise to power also augurs well for the trend that is
already evident in Malaysia, another moderate Muslim nation,
which is blazing new ground under a kinder, gentler leadership
and policies that are more responsive to people's needs and
aspirations, all the while maintaining a hard-line approach
against terrorism.

If Susilo does it right and achieves a similarly delicate
balance with his own leadership style, Indonesia will be on its
way to becoming a showcase for the world of how the Muslim
countries of Southeast Asia are able to accommodate democracy,
raise their people's standard of living, compete successfully in
a borderless world, be good citizens of the world and yet remain
faithful to Islam.

Such a feat remains elusive in most other Muslim countries.
Indeed, Indonesia's success in democratization has the potential
of being able to shift the Islamic world's center of gravity away
from the Middle East. Southeast Asian Muslim countries
demonstrate in a convincing way that modernity, democracy and
Islam are not mutually exclusive.

Certainly, it will not be easy for Susilo to overcome all the
stumbling blocks that have kept Indonesia from realizing its full
potential. The threat represented by the regional terrorist group
Jemaah Islamiyah must not be underestimated. During his campaign,
Susilo showed a good grasp of the situation and pledged to step
up measures to combat terrorism. Tough actions from Indonesia
against terrorism are indispensable if any sort of region-wide
cooperative effort to fight Islamic militants is to succeed.

As one of the major members of ASEAN, it is crucial that
Indonesia take a leading role within the regional grouping. When
ASEAN was first established, it was used as a tool to engage the
region's largest country in the region's affairs. This concept
has not changed.

Since the collapse of the dictatorship and the dawning of
democracy in 1998, Indonesia has kept to itself as a result of
the domestic turmoil that continues to cause uncertainty there.
The country has not lived up to ASEAN's expectations and has
failed to provide much of the active participation that is so
badly needed. At the upcoming ASEAN summit in Vientiane in
November, one hopes to see a different Indonesia on display,
taking pride of place among ASEAN countries.

As host of the previous ASEAN summit in Bali last year,
Indonesia failed to impress its ASEAN colleagues by advocating a
new bolder vision for the grouping. As a result, several good
initiatives that have the potential to turn ASEAN into a more
vibrant grouping, with closer cooperation among its members, were
pushed aside.

A democratic and stable Indonesia will be a boon for the
region and the world. It is imperative that the international
community do its utmost to ensure that Indonesia not only
weathers the storm ahead, but succeeds in its challenging march
towards democracy.