Bloombergs: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is taking a well-deserved victory lap for restoring order to Indonesia
On 23rd November 2012, an article on Bloomberg highly commented President SBY role in bringing Indonesia out of recovery mode and into acceleration mode to 2045. In an article entitled “Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is taking a well-deserved victory lap for restoring order to Indonesia”, it talks about SBYs role in bringing the country into a new economic and global standing. It also mentions SBYs leadership in ASEAN 21 in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. It later suggests that SBY remainder two years would be complete if Indonesia becomes a “BRICS” country, although this is not a priority on the foreign policy. The article concludes with an expectation of greater efforts, (or in convincing the public)on the war on corruption which would need a bigger bang. And although it doesn’t mention Indonesia’s record breaking busts in corruption activities, it does give hope on the future prospect of Indonesia, following the momentum of SBYs leadership. Here are some excerpt of the text.
Bloomberg:
Fifteen years ago, the nation with the worlds largest Muslim population looked set to break apart in Asias answer to the Soviet Union. The ouster of brutal dictator Suharto in 1998 opened the way for a reform-minded leader. Yudhoyono, a former general, wasnt an obvious first choice, and it wasnt until 2004 that he won office, becoming the countrys fourth post- Suharto president.
Yudhoyono exceeded just about everyones expectations. He was a steady hand when his countrys 240 million people needed it, modernizing the economy, surrounding himself with competent deputies, reducing terrorism, cutting the militarys role in society and attacking the corruption machine that Suharto built during almost 32 years in power.
Today, when the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development gives South east Asia kudos for emerging resilient from a period of global turmoil, it is really recognition of how far Indonesia has come these past eight years. The OECD forecasts growth of 6.4 percent for Indonesia from 2013 to 2017, equal to that recorded in the two decades before the 1997-1998 Asian crisis.
That performance helped make Yudhoyono the toast of this weeks East Asia Summit in Cambodia, an event attended by U.S. President Barack Obama. Yudhoyono is also emerging as a regional power broker. He has slipped comfortably into a senior Asian statesman role, speaking out about the
Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar and events in the Middle East. In Phnom Penh, Yudhoyono gave voice to many in Asia when he called on Obama to pressure Israel to end airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
Future Plans
Yudhoyono, 63, is thinking openly about his plans after 2014, when his second term ends. They include becoming a thought leader in retirement to help guide Indonesia. Jakartas political class is also thinking beyond the Yudhoyono years — pundits are looking at general-turned-businessman
Prabowo Subianto or Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo to succeed him.
With all this looking ahead, it is easy to forget that Yudhoyono still has two years left in the presidential palace. Thats two years when he can use his clout as a reformer and apply it in earnest. Two years to redouble efforts to end the corruption that leaves almost half the population living
on $2 a day, to increase competitiveness and to implement the upgrades needed to expand the economy almost fivefold to at least $4 trillion by 2025. But will he?
If Yudhoyono resigned tomorrow, his report card would be a good one. When he took over, Transparency International ranked Indonesia 133 rd in its Corruption Perceptions Index along with the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tajikistan. By 2011, it came in 100th out of 183 countries, tied with Argentina and Mexico. In January, Moodys Investors Service Inc. Reinstated its investment grade, which Indonesia lost in the Asian debt crisis
(aos)
