'The current Cabinet has vested interests'

The latest polls indicate that while President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, or SBY and JK, remain popular with voters, they have lost some of their shine since being catapulted into office last year. The Jakarta Post asked Jakartans for their thoughts on SBY and JK.

Amanda Andono Sudarwanto, is a print promotion executive at PT EMI Music Indonesia in Kuningan, South Jakarta. She lives in Pondok Pinang, South Jakarta:

It is not easy to look at the work someone has done and determine what they have achieved. It is difficult to discern what someone has achieved after just one year in office.

From the outside, it does not seem that SBY has achieved anything major, but a president's term lasts for five years. He still has four years to go. Give him time to prove himself.

I think the cooperation between the President, Vice President and the Cabinet needs to improve. There needs to be more follow- up on earlier programs and policies.

Syahrizal Budi Putranto, 40, is a media expert at Inke Maris & Associates strategic communications consultant in South Jakarta. He lives in Depok:

The election of SBY and JK as President and Vice President raised a lot of hopes in the beginning. Especially with SBY's stated resolve to fight corruption, improve legal certainty and fix the economy. And it is true that the government has been more open and receptive, and has even proven its commitment to bring those involved in corruption to court.

However, after one year in office the results achieved by SBY and JK have been less than satisfying. The fight against corruption has only managed to touch the small-time criminals, while those involved in illegal logging and oil smuggling causing the state trillions of rupiah in losses remain at large. Neither has the government touched any of the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by those involved in corruption.

In politics, although there were some problems in the regional elections, the process of democracy has begun to work.

I think the Cabinet of SBY-JK remains riddled with vested interests, which has effected its performance. But a reshuffle may not be the best solution. What is needed is to push for economic reforms that do not take into account the interests of ministers. Maybe fuel prices had to go up because of rising global oil prices, but was it wise to raise them as much as 126 percent? I do not think so.

-- The Jakarta Post