When the Indonesian President can do no right
Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, New York
At a gala dinner hosted on Thursday Sept. 15 by the American- Indonesian Chamber of Commerce at New York's Pierre Hotel, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seemed to be in his element.
During his six-day visit to the United States the retired four-star general has enjoyed generous praise and back-patting from his hosts, which he is perhaps not accustomed to at home.
Now it is time to go home, he said, in his remarks to about 100 American guests.
"It's good to be here in New York. I arrived here on Monday, and I have been driven around in a fancy car, with a convoy of secret service agents. I like it, because everywhere I go, people on the streets think I am a big rock star. Until they see me stepping out of the car. That's when I tell them that I once sang for the hit show Indonesian Idol," he said to laughter.
He was clearly proud to be seated next to U.S. President George W. Bush and of the warm conversation they had during a working luncheon hosted by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the leaders who attended Wednesday's opening of the World Summit.
His American hosts credited him with being the "directly elected" leader of the third-largest democracy -- after India and the U.S. -- the world's fourth most populous nation and the most populous Muslim nation. They applauded him for his intellect as the holder of a doctorate degree in agricultural economics from a prestigious university. He was referred to as the "thinking general".
During his stay here, he received regular reports on developments at home. The President was irritated by criticism over the cost effectiveness of leading daily Cabinet meetings in Jakarta via video conference. Some had said the video conference facility was too expensive and others had concluded that he did not trust Vice President Jusuf Kalla to carry out his presidential duties.
The President reacted to the criticism and canceled on Thursday evening his daily contact with Jakarta. There are rumors among his entourage that the President suddenly dropped Kompas daily from the list of media he invited to cover his U.S. tour because of the paper's critical reports about his indecisiveness over the fuel subsidy and reshuffling the Cabinet. If this is true, the President has only caused himself unnecessary problems.
Close aides traveling with him disclosed that he wanted to ensure the social-safety net programs for the poor had been put in place before fuel prices were raised. He is aware of the risks if the programs fail, as other schemes have done in the past. His inner-circle aides, including Cabinet Secretary Maj. Gen. (ret) Sudi Silalahi, are of the opinion that the scheme to help the poor will only work if the Indonesian Military (TNI) oversees fund distribution -- they are adamant that TNI officers would be honest in this task.
The President is now evaluating his Cabinet, and he may announce his new team together with the announcement of the new fuel prices. Now he is considering the inclusion of more technocrats in his Cabinet, particularly in economic affairs, as did his predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri. Megawati's former finance minister Boediono and former economics minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti are among the candidates Susilo is considering.
Reshuffling the Cabinet is not enough. The President needs to be more confident in himself, as several polls show that the people are relatively satisfied with his hard work.
There are people who are now struggling to work their way into the Cabinet or to place their men in the government and speak as though they were the real representatives of the people.
One impression of the President is that he often overreacts to criticism. He is very aware of the role of public relations, but it seems that he often pays too much attention to it, making his public appearances less natural. The events after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans showed that Susilo did a better job in the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami than President George Bush in the face of disaster.
In the public's eyes at least, Susilo's immediate family and relatives appear to be well-intentioned and free from corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). He is an only child, and his two sons seem to have no interests in business. His wife's family is a highly respected one, especially her father, the late and legendary Lt. Gen. (ret) Sarwo Edhie.
The vice president's family, on the other hand, has a history in business.
Compared to his predecessors, the number of businesspeople who tried to lobby or approach him during his foreign trips was much lower. He feels much more comfortable with intellectuals than businesspeople.
The President has one thing going for him that none of his predecessors had: he was given a mandate from the people. From reading media reports, however, it could be concluded that the President can do no right.
No one wants Soeharto back in power, but the former leader had one thing right: he refused to bow to others in making major decisions. When it comes to decision-making, Susilo needs to worry less about his image and more about the outcome.