VIEWS FROM ASIA The First Directly-Elected entering the labor market every year. Indonesian President Her administration was marked by widespread corruption, and military By Shiraishi Takashi reform got stalled. The conflict in Aceh province took a turn for the worse when Photo: REUTERS • SUN Megawati imposed martial law and INDONESIA’S sixth and adopted a military approach to “solve” newest president, Susilo the situation in the province. Bambang Yudhoyono, is a In the presidential campaign, former military officer who, Yudhoyono called for change, and proj- together with General ected himself as a man of will and leader- Wiranto, led the Indonesian ship. He rightly identified that the eco- military during the period of tran- nomic question is the fundamental issue sition from Suharto’s dictatorship to that Indonesia now faces. His victory the current democratic regime. He was shows how much Indonesians actually instrumental in calling for reforms aimed hope for a better future. at dismantling the military’s socio-politi- There is no question that democracy cal function, which had long been used is alive and well in Indonesia. to justify the military’s central role in Parliamentary elections held last April as supporting the authoritarian govern- well as the two rounds of presidential Iment. He then served as Minister for elections in July and September 2004 Mines and Energy and the Coordinating were held peacefully, fairly and freely. Minister for Security and Political Affairs But democratization has changed under President Abdurrahman Wahid Indonesian politics in a fundamental and once again as the Coordinating way. Along with the presidency and the Minister for Political Affairs under for- military, the parliament with political mer President Megawati Sukarnoputri. parties has now emerged as a power cen- Indonesia’s new president, Susilo Bambang Installed last October, Yudhoyono – Yudhoyono ter. Therefore, Yudhoyono has to nego- or SBY as he is known in Indonesia – is tiate both with the parliament and politi- the first president to be elected directly precisely because he is the first one who cal parties as well as the military to by the Indonesian people. By all listens to the people. advance his policy agenda, including accounts, he is a good listener, very There is a joke circulating about the making economic policy to overcome the patient, cautious and hands-on as far as presidents after Suharto that captures the economic crisis, reforming the judicial management is concerned. gist of people’s perceptions of their lead- system, fighting corruption, addressing But he is also, in many ways, the first ers: Habibie never listened, Wahid could problems of law and order, and the issue post-Suharto president. In the six years hardly see and Megawati simply could of territorial integrity (above all, dealing since Suharto stepped down, three peo- not speak. Yudhoyono stands out in his with the situations in Aceh and Papua). ple have served as presidents before speeches because he regularly employs The parliament, however, is divided Yudhoyono – B. J. Habibie, Abdurrahman the first-person pronoun “I” when equally between the pro-government Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri. explaining himself to the public. This and the opposition coalitions. It is well But these three people largely defined signifies a style of direct address in which known that Megawati refused to attend themselves in relation – and often oppo- the president makes himself accountable the inauguration ceremony and has sition – to Suharto. and takes responsibility for what he says. rebuffed Yudhoyono’s repeated attempts Yudhoyono represents a new type of How did Yudhoyono gain the trust of for conversation. She strongly believes Indonesian political leader. He is one of the Indonesian people? that she can make a comeback in a year the first politicians to understand the The Indonesian people were deeply or two if Yudhoyono were impeached importance of the public in the demo- disappointed with Megawati and disillu- and ousted. She is counting on the cratic process. He took public opinion sioned with her failure to live up to her opposition coalition led by her party the surveys seriously in his bid for the presi- promises of reform. Therefore they Indonesian Democratic Party of dency, and he now wants to create an clamored for change. Although it is true Struggle (PDIP) and Golkar to restore her American-style presidency supported by that Megawati’s government succeeded to the presidency. staff who include one of the leading in stabilizing the economy, it failed to As a result, the pro-government coali- public-opinion experts. He is, in other achieve enough economic growth to cre- tion is cobbled together mainly from words, the first post-Suharto president ate jobs for the nearly 2.5 million people Megawati’s former vice president 38 JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • January / February 2005 VIEWS FROM ASIA Photo: REUTERS • SUN Hamzah Haz’s Development Unity Party (PPP), former president Wahid’s National Awakening Party (PKB), presidential can- didate Amien Rais’ National Mandate Party (PAN), the Welfare and Justice Party (PKS), and the Crescent and Star Party (PBB), together with Yudhoyono’s own newly established Democratic Party (PD). Except for the Democratic Party, all of the above are known to be Islamic parties whose main constituencies are pious Muslims, and whose leaders include not a few consummate oppor- tunists (Haz of PPP) and rabid Islamists (Yusril Ihza Mahendra of PBB). This means that Islamic parties have dispro- portionate influence in the pro-govern- ment coalition and are likely to use the coalition to push for their agenda. The members of Indonesia’s new Cabinet The political clout of the Islamic par- ties is evident in Yudhyono’s appointed clearly a product of delicate political ment climate for medium and long-term cabinet, which was announced on the negotiations and compromises. economic growth, or else create jobs by day of the president’s inauguration. An overview of the cabinet composi- relying on government-funded public Even though Yudhoyono himself tion indicates that ministers in politics works. The second option may prove understood the importance of appoint- and security (such as Coordinating unsustainable in the long run. ing technocrats with international credi- Minister for Political, Legal and Security Another thing to watch is whether the bility to the cabinet, he ended up mak- Affairs Admiral Widodo, Minister of president and his attorney general have ing concessions to Islamist parties, above Defense Juwono Sudarsono, and the will to tackle big corruption cases all the PKS and the PBB. One example is Minister of Foreign Affairs Hasan and bring the guilty parties to justice. University of Indonesia Faculty of Wirayuda) are mainly Yudhoyono’s peo- The biggest challenge is that of cleaning Economics professor and former IMF ple while those handling the economic up the judicial system, including the board member Sri Mulyani, who was portfolios (such as Minister of Finance attorney general’s office and the Supreme initially slated for the Minister of Jusuf Anwar, Minister of Trade Mari E. Court. Yudhoyono’s attorney general, Finance post but whose appointment Pangestu, and Head of the National Abdul Rahman Saleh, is a respected was blocked by the “anti-IMF” Islamists Planning Agency, Sri Mulyani) are tech- lawyer who is best known for casting the and ended up being appointed the Head nocrats, but mixed in with Kalla’s peo- dissenting vote against the acquittal of of the National Planning Agency ple (Aburizal Bakrie). Political parties in the Golkar chair man Akbar Tandjung. (Bapenas) instead. the governing coalition were given min- Finally, it remains to be seen whether The composition of the cabinet also isterial posts in other fields such as reli- Yudhoyono will employ a political reflects the delicate question of the divi- gious affairs, education, and welfare. rather than military approach to resolve sion of labor between the president and Yudhoyono made it clear in his inau- the conflict in Aceh and Papua. In this vice-president, Jusuf Kalla. As a product gural address that Indonesians should connection, it is also important to see of the long-term economic development not expect any easy and rapid solution how he goes about military reform – the under Suharto, Kalla built his empire as to the country’s pressing problems. foremost of which is the creation of a a leading pribumi (native Indonesian) Nevertheless he needs to demonstrate sound financial base for the military that businessman and served as a Golkar his will, ability, leadership and commit- will help restore military discipline politician. Allied with Aburizal Bakrie, ment to address the pressing problems among rank and file soldiers – which who is now Coordinating Minister for of a sluggish economy, rampant corrup- had stalled under Megawati. Economic Affairs, and Ginandjar tion, Aceh and Papua and Islamicist Kartasasmita, chairman of the regional groups such as Jamaah Islamiyah. Shiraishi Takashi is a professor at the representation council (DPD) and Golkar One thing that bears watching is how Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto Kingpin, Kalla has a strong voice in the the government will address the eco- University. He specializes in Asian studies current government. nomic question. The government must and international relations. The newly formed cabinet is thus decide whether to improve the invest- JAPAN SPOTLIGHT • January / February 2005 39.