Nov. 25, 2009 (Al Bawaba) -- Following landslide victories in general and presidential elections, a coalition led by his own Democratic Party, Islamic allies, smaller parties and politicians from defeated parties, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono starts his second five-year term in an apparently unassailable position. Yet he is overshadowed by a corruption scandal that has caused widespread concern. (Jakarta Globe 05.11.09).
The Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is on trial for murder and two of his deputies are going on trial for abuse of power and bribery.
The focus on TV soap operas has given way to an incredible tale of alleged intrigue, deceit and frame-ups, lighting up the dark recesses of corruption in the police, the judiciary and public administration. (The Jakarta Post 09.11.09).
More than one million Indonesians have reportedly declared support for the KPK on Facebook, and some have also started campaigning against electricity blackouts. (The Jakarta Post 12.11.98).
The nation is spellbound and needs a wizard to wave his wand. But like a Harry Potter story the President must escape from the apparently inescapable, fight the good fight, and emerge victorious, whilst facing three great threats, all of which he must vanquish. And what will he do on his day off?
The Indonesian government has such wide political and institutional support, at least on the surface, that the press and media are almost the only visible opposition.
The old parties and elites of the Suharto time are defeated and shunted aside, but they lurk, maneuvering in the shadows.
President Yudhoyono is partly the victim of his own success. His landslides victories. His canny and comprehensive coalitions. His riding out of the global economic storm. His masterful exploitation of inaction, as well as action. His ability, until now, to preside over all he surveys.
The other would-be wizards can´t stand it and know they need new wands and better magic. But then that’s why he´s the President, and they are not.
Under his leadership Indonesia rode out the economic storm, maintained growth and is destined to be a world economic power, perhaps number seven or eight, by about 2040, overtaking South Korea , Japan , the UK and West Germany. (Standard Chartered Bank Report 02.09.09)
Almost unbelievable when you see the power cuts in Jakarta and across the nation because the state electricity utility is lost in the darkness of yesterday´s Indonesia, but confronted by a nation that wants to see the light.
There will be candles for Christmas for everybody, not just the Christians, or else the Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists will be sitting in the dark.
Three things can stop the ship of state, and prevent it sailing boldly, with flags flying, commanded by its captain, on its journey to a great destiny.
These are the three threats which the wizard must vanquish or the forces of darkness may defeat him.
The first is physical and the PLN crisis sums it up. Indonesian performance on provision of power, water and modern transportation to the people represents a shameful and crippling failure.
Without infrastructure inward investment cannot be efficiently deployed, coal cannot reach the power stations, raw materials cannot reach factories, goods cannot reach consumers.
This is one giant archipelagic country and it cannot connect and mobilize without infrastructure. Connected with infrastructure it radiates outwards from several hubs spanning five hours across in a jumbo jet. Disconnected it breaks up economically, partly into foreign-dominated bailiwicks.
Second Indonesian political and social leadership will have to fight for a modern Muslim-led political culture and against a backlash from those who want stoning for adultery, to forbid women wearing trousers and have approved sharia by-laws in more than 400 local authorities.
Underneath these apparent religious motives are the political, commercial and even criminal exploitation of religion, nearly always for power, resources and money.
These retrograde and repressive but unrepresentative and often sensationalized departures from moderate Indonesian Islam are used by the enemies of both to reduce complex truths to simple propaganda, bashing Arabs, Muslims and Indonesia with the same stick. This can cause serious economic damage and has to be got under control.
But the third threat is by far the greatest and could bring the machinery of state and politics to a grinding halt, with open political warfare amongst the political elite spilling over via internet social networking, into potentially widespread popular campaigns against corruption in the police, the judiciary and public administration. Investor confidence and economic growth could be hit by this.
These problems can only be solved in courts and institutions, and through an emerging new political balance, and not in the street or on the Internet. And the wizard must wave his wand soon to break the logjam. And in this land of mysteries, mysticism and shadow puppets with unseen strings, a little political magic would come in handy.
ALL POWER CORRUPTS
Last year it was already clear that the massively popular Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was showing signs of getting too damned sure of itself. Now it is falling from grace. Its chairman faces a murder charge, two deputy chairman are charged with abuse of power and bribery. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must make sure he does not fall with them, and still emerge leading a credible anti- corruption campaign. (The Jakarta Post 13.11.09)
Perhaps the Greek fable of Icarus is not so widely known in Indonesia.
