[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Need for speed in Indonesia
- From: "Ambon" <sea@xxxxxxxxxx>
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- Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 01:37:10 +0200
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**http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HI19Ae01.html
Sep 19, 2006
Need for speed in Indonesia
By Michael Vatikiotis
JAKARTA - Two years into his five-year term, Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono presents himself as a sincere, hard-working reformer, a
long-distance runner pacing himself on a marathon run. But many Indonesians
think the country needs a sprinter.
The Indonesian people are losing patience. For almost a decade they endured
political paralysis and economic crisis. Tens of thousands of people died in
religious and ethnic strife, many hundreds of thousands more lost their homes
and livelihood; millions of children were deprived of an education. So today,
more
than eight years since the fall of the dictator Suharto, there is a palpable
desire to see more progress.
Yudhoyono's principal achievement to date has been to preserve and consolidate
the democratic transition achieved by his election in 2004. No one questions
his legitimacy, and this stability has helped restore domestic social harmony
and foreign investor confidence. Hundreds of local elections have been held
peacefully up and down the vast archipelago, giving real meaning to local
autonomy.
When Yudhoyono, a former army general, came to power in October 2004, he vowed
to continue the peace process he started in 1999 aimed at settling the
long-running conflict in Aceh province. Peace finally came to Aceh in August
2005, and the agreement, reached with rebel leaders after years of tough
negotiation, is holding.
Yudhoyono's ability to win the support and confidence of the military has also
helped fashion an effective counter-terrorism strategy. Disgruntled
conservatives may snipe and conspire from the sidelines, but there is no longer
widespread fear in society that people's rights will be abused by men in
uniform. Critics mainly focus on the government's reluctance to punish those
responsible for committing crimes before Indonesia's transition to democracy.
Creeping extremism
But while the president has worked assiduously to bring peace to Aceh, rein in
the worst of military abuses and combat terror, he has paid less attention to
other polarizing forces in Indonesian society, forces that threaten the
foundations of Indonesia as a moderate Muslim nation.
On Yudhoyono's watch, the forces of Islamic extremism have made headway. The
number of districts governed by conservative sharia law has more than doubled.
This isn't just a concern for foreign investors and allies in the "war against
terror". Many Indonesians are worried that parliament will pass a law
criminalizing many aspects of entertainment that Indonesians consider a
hallmark of their tolerant society.
The president has been slow to assure this substantial majority of Indonesian
citizens of his commitment to pluralism. He has allowed militant groups to
operate without outlawing them and stood by as minorities have been persecuted.
As in neighboring Malaysia, the forces of Islamic extremism are slowly gaining
ground.
Among Indonesians there are also mounting concerns about the economy. Gross
domestic product (GDP) growth is falling short of the 6% target set by the
government last year and since has been revised downward. A high-profile drive
to attract investment in infrastructure has fallen flat, and business
executives grumble that much of what the president is doing for reform is to
polish his image. In fact, as far as the business community is concerned, much
of the credit for economic management goes to Yudhoyono's feisty vice
president, Jusuf Kalla.
Critics point to the president's slow decision-making. With almost 50 people
dead from avian influenza, there is an urgent need for more commitment to a
strategy to tackle the virus before it becomes a pandemic. Economists say he
should order another increase in domestic fuel prices to reduce the fiscal
burden of subsidies. Inflation in August was running at around 15%.
Yet understandable impatience must be weighed against the benefits of
better-quality leadership. Yudhoyono's poor family background and his marriage
into a family with a proud military heritage have forged a beneficial blend of
empathy and idealism - both rare qualities in Indonesian elite circles.
Two years on and the rampant corruption and abuse of power associated with
previous Indonesian leaders are scarcely evident. The president's
identification with the common people is still strong, as demonstrated by his
swift reaction to natural disasters such as the recent Central Java earthquake
and a new commitment to spend US$1.5 billion on poverty alleviation next year.
Even so, many Indonesians worry about the rot that still afflicts the rest of
the bureaucracy and urge Yudhoyono to make speedier decisions and show more
muscle. Yudhoyono is said to be reluctant to stick his neck out too far in a
political environment where, despite his popular mandate, he still feels
insecure. Two years on and he still hasn't built a strong party platform in
parliament and relies instead on a shaky alliance of smaller secular and
Islamic parties.
The worry is that having survived longer than his two immediate predecessors,
Yudhoyono may feel tempted to slow down even more. That would be a mistake. The
Indonesian people have lost a lot of time already. With his popularity waning,
now is the time to start sprinting.
Michael Vatikiotis is senior visiting research fellow at the Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies and former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review.
(Copyright 2006 OpinionAsia.)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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