Indonesia For A Better World
Sidney Morning Herald
Tom Allard Herald Correspondent in Jakarta
July 10, 2009
THE Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is expected to promote a more assertive foreign policy during his second term, leveraging the country’s status as an international standard bearer of democracy and moderate Islam.
The retired general and moderate reformist is believed to have triumphed in Wednesday’s presidential election. He is yet to claim victory and one rival, Megawati Soekarnoputri, may still bring a challenge based on alleged widespread fraud in the voter list.
But, a day after the usually reliable quick counts by independent polling groups were issued, Indonesians were already looking ahead to Dr Yudhoyono’s next five years in office.
Anies Beswaden, rector of Paramadina University, said Dr Yudhoyono could become a regional leader of significance.
“He could emerge as a global leader,” he said, noting Indonesia had banked a huge amount of international goodwill for holding a peaceful election when the region was beset by political turmoil. “I think his destiny and legacy will be in the international sphere.”
As the world’s largest country with an Islamic majority, the region’s beacon of democracy and a nation that is overwhelmingly moderate religiously, Indonesia has plenty of “soft power” to deploy. World leaders such as the US President, Barack Obama, have been effusive in their praise of its development.
Australia had been hoping that Dr Yudhoyono would win a second term and bring more economic stability and security to its previously fragile near neighbour. The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, called Dr Yudhoyono yesterday afternoon to congratulate him on his expected win.
Dr Yudhoyono has had a long interest in international affairs.
Wimar Witoelar, a prominent commentator, said he expected the President to leave much of the nitty gritty of domestic affairs to his cabinet.
“He does have the stature to be a statesman,” he said. “Indonesia can carry its weight internationally by itself.”
Many in the intellectual elite want Indonesia to develop a foreign relations strategy outside the Association of South-East Asian Nations, which has been widely derided as ineffective, for example in its inability to force Burma to introduce even the most modest reforms.
Candle In Any Given Darkness
THE election is a triumph for Indonesia and for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. It is a development of strategic good fortune for Australia of epic proportions.
If, as Paul Keating often argued, the rise of Suharto in the mid-1960s was the greatest beneficial strategic act for Australia in the post-war period, then the rise of SBY and the development of Indonesia as a stable democracy is an equally important piece of luck for the lucky country.
Exit polls indicate SBY is likely to win the presidency on the first round – a staggering achievement. But to have brought Indonesia to the stage where it has such large, crucial elections so peacefully and so routinely is an even bigger feat.
Listen to the criticisms of this election: it’s been boring, lacking in striking policy contrasts among the candidates and short on vision. How many nations would give anything to have elections like that?
All the candidates were credible. SBY has brought political stability, extraordinarily effective counter-terrorist action, modest institutional reform and solid economic growth.
His opponents were a former president, Meagawati Sukarnoputri, and incumbent Vice-President Jusuf Kalla.
The worst criticisms of SBY seem to be that he is a crook karaoke singer (a quality he shares with many Indonesian former military men) and that he can be overly cautious.
SBY’s supporters say this caution is a key to his achievements. He moves in the right direction, but only as fast as the public consensus will allow. He pushes the consensus along but avoids polarising his countrymen.
Megawati, and her vice-presidential running mate, former Suharto-era general Prabowo Subianto, perhaps trying to take a leaf out of Kevin Rudd’s book, accused SBY of being a “neo-liberal”.
They also made this accusation against SBY’s vice-presidential running mate, Boediono.
Boediono was a finance minister and head of Indonesia’s central bank. It is no disrespect to him to point out that no politician could have less charisma than he does.
Instead of a movie star or a general or a rich industrialist, SBY chose a technocrat as his running mate. He didn’t need extra votes or charisma.
This may be a problem in four years as there is unlikely to be a strong administration candidate for president.
But for now, the President has a big agenda of economic and institutional reform to confront.
SBY educated one of his sons in Australia and has a record of co-operation with Canberra in crucial issues.
In an often dark world, this election is a bright candle.
Source: The Australian
