Thus, it begins

Thus, it begins

While it offered little that was exceptional in this kind of
address, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inaugural speech
gave us a picture of the concerns foremost in his mind.

However, it might be noted that, contrary to custom, Susilo
delivered his address only a few hours after his installation
yesterday at the State Palace, instead of before a plenary
session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

As can be expected under the circumstances, the concerns he
expressed are not much different from those that faced previous
presidents since the fall of Soeharto in 1998.

A host of issues -- from the flagging economy to unemployment,
from a prevailing environment of injustice and corruption to lack
of good governance, and from foreign debt to the soaring global
price of oil -- all were issues that received prominent mention
in the president's inaugural address.

...Which is all good and well, of course. However, the
question on the tip of the tongue of almost every Indonesian, now
that the first burst of euphoria is over, is whether the new
president will be able to live up to the expectations that his
public image of strength and intellectuality has raised among the
millions who voted him into office.

Not only must he confront the formidable issues above, but he
must also win the support of the House of Representatives --
which is not controlled by either his Democratic Party nor the
People's Coalition that supports him. Clearly, it will take a
good deal of tact, as well as decisiveness and plain adroitness,
on the part of President Susilo to push his policies through.

In all fairness, though, it must be said that the new
president has not let his electorate down so far. True to his
earlier promise to set a new political tradition for Indonesia,
Susilo began his speech by thanking his predecessor, Megawati
Soekarnoputri, whom he would "always respect" for her efforts
that made a peaceful, democratic and orderly transition of
governments possible. By doing so, the President said, Indonesia
had not only proved to itself that it was capable of applying
democracy, but it had also set an example for the world.

Susilo promised the peoples of Indonesia that he would serve
as a true "president of the people" and stand above the interests
of any group or individual for the duration of his tenure. He
also promised he would strive to establish good governance and
personally lead the fight against corruption.

Analysts, however, warn that this could prove to be one of the
greatest stumbling blocks the new president will have to
overcome. For this reason, Susilo's choice of a new attorney
general and police chief is widely regarded as crucial, and their
performance over the first 100 days in office is certain to be
followed closely.

The new president also had a few words of assurance for the
international community as well, pledging that the country would
continue to pursue peace and justice in its foreign policy.

In an apparent effort to allay fears in the international
community that Indonesia might one day shift its stance and
become more radical in its religious outlook, he declared that
the country would always maintain a modern, pluralist and
tolerant stance -- a stance that is anchored in the nation's
diverse cultures and traditions.

To summarize, while it cannot be said that President Susilo
has offered anything that can be called unusual, dramatic or even
sensational in his inaugural address yesterday, it nevertheless
constituted a delivery of reassurances aimed at both the
Indonesian public and the international community.

Megawati's inaugural speech, of course, was no different, but
the administration under her and Hamzah Haz did not succeed in
some of the tasks with which it was entrusted, such as
eradicating corruption -- and the failure of the anticorruption
drive under Megawati was a major driving force that contributed
to Susilo's landslide victory in the Sept. 20 election.

The apparent lesson that must be learned by President Susilo
and Vice President Kalla from this failure is that they must be
more persistent and determined in fulfilling their promises and
the people's expectations for sweeping change and reform.