http://www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=15060&sec=3
One year on, the thrill is gone
Editorial Desk
The Jakarta Post
Publication Date : 21-10-2010
What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months ago there was so much hope
and optimism when Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took the oath
of office for his second five-year term.
Judging by the nation's mood today, the first anniversary of his second
term, it's like we're looking at two different countries. What happened?
Winning the presidential election with more than 60 per cent of the votes
in round one, Yudhoyono could not have asked for more in starting his second
term, and constitutionally his last. He won a carte blanche that would be the
envy of any democratically elected leader. It was a ringing endorsement from
the people for Yudhoyono to do whatever he deemed fit. He promised continuity
in his campaign, and continuity was what the nation wanted, albeit with a new
vice president and a new Cabinet.
Yudhoyono gave an eloquent inauguration speech promising to dedicate the
next five years to "improving people's prosperity, strengthening democracy and
upholding justice". The inauguration and his speech provided an uplifting
moment for the nation at a time when much of the rest of the world was still
mired in a deep economic recession.
Fast forward 12 months, and that sense of optimism, or what the President
described in his inauguration speech as the "can do spirit", is practically
gone.
The President's popularity has declined. The Indonesian Survey Institute
said his approval rating has fallen from 85 per cent at the time of his
inauguration to 66 per cent last month. A Kompas survey is even more revealing.
At the time he was elected in July 2009, 90 per cent of the population had a
positive image of him.
Today, it is down to 48 per cent. Most commentaries on the first
anniversary of the SBY-Boediono administration have been negative, perhaps some
unfair, as one year is not sufficient to judge whether an administration has
failed. The mandate given to Yudhoyono is good for five years. And the last 12
months have not been so bad as to merit a movement to bring down the
democratically elected President as his staunchest critics are seeking.
The nation's somber mood accompanying the anniversary is more a
reflection of many unfulfilled hopes.
This being Yudhoyono's second term rather than his first, people
obviously have much higher expectations. His government should have been up and
running from the word go.
Instead, we saw the new government bogged down by the Bank Century
investigation in its first six months, ironically initiated by Yudhoyono's own
coalition partners. This episode forced the sudden departure of reformist
finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, which in turn hurt Yudhoyono's own
reform credentials.
The Bank Century case also showed how uneasy relations were between the
President and the House of Representatives, even though SBY had included six of
the nine political parties in his coalition. SBY also had some serious problems
on the law enforcement front, which have undermined his antigraft drive. While
the economy may seem to be doing well, at least going by macroeconomic
indicators, there are serious concerns that dividends have not been shared
equally.
Yudhoyono has squandered much of the political capital he had at the
start of his second term, and unfortunately with little to show for it.
Nobody expected him to deliver on his promises of more prosperity,
democracy and justice in just 12 months. But the nation has the right to ask
for some signs from their President that Indonesia is making progress, to help
build their confidence. This, unfortunately, was something the nation did not
get.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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