SMS: SBY's priorities

Fri, 10/23/2009 12:23 PM  |  Reader's Forum

All smiles: Vice President Boediono (from front left), People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Taufik Kiemas, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and former vice president Jusuf Kalla pose for a photograph after the President’s inauguration ceremony at the parliamentary building on Tuesday.JP/R Berto Wedhatama

Your suggestion on the priorities of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his second five-year term.

Four main things should be at the center of SBY's attention. He must make sure he doesn't become authoritarian despite his overwhelming parliamentary support; he must leave a strong antigraft legacy at the end of his term; he should draft effective policies to fight global warming; and should ensure the country's future by grooming potential leaders to replace him after 2014.

Ignatius
Jakarta

To be successful in his second five-year term, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono first of all has to form a capable and reliable cabinet; continue his corruption-eradication efforts by fully supporting the KPK; and enhance law enforcement by restructuring the police, the AGO and the Judiciary.

He also has to finalize his economic programs resulting in the creation of job opportunities, and last but not least, increase the budget allocation for defense and put more troops on alert at border areas and remote islands.

I am convinced that together with VP Boediono, they will succeed in building a strong and prosperous Indonesia.

Soebagjo Soetadji
Jakarta

In the next five-year term of his administration, SBY should work to improve the financial security of the people; increase the GDP and expand the markets by driving the real sector.

He also must work on decreasing the unemployment rate by funding projects that will employ many people. Lastly, the government should also develop irrigation projects in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua to increase the nation's agricultural output.

Abdul Rahim
Tangerang, Banten

We have voted for SBY; and now we must ensure that he fulfills his promises. One of them is to improve the welfare of our farmers. Our previous governments trusted the Bulog to ease the economic problems faced by our farmers, yet needs as simple as fertilizer are still not being met. The problem is widely talked about at the village level, but no one seems to want to address it. Why?

Moeljono Adikoesoemo
Jakarta

SBY should focus on improving public transportation to ease congestion in Jakarta - complete the monorail project, deploy better buses, create green spaces in big cities, like Hyde Park in London. He must also allocate more funds to education, especially in the eastern regions of Indonesia, such as Flores, Papua and Lombok.

Meidi
Tangerang, Banten

There are many things that SBY and Boediono must focus on. Firstly, they have to be serious in trying to improve people's welfare. Indonesia is rich in natural resources, yet ironically millions of people still live in poverty.

If we properly manage our natural resources and protect our environment, we will be able to do away with foreign debt.

Secondly, instead of giving cash handouts, the new government should launch an education and healthcare program accessible to all.

Thirdly, the government must protect the rights of migrant workers, especially the rights of those who are marginalized and forgotten like the victims of Lapindo. Lastly, the principle of equality before the law must be upheld.

I hope that SBY's second term is better than his first. I also hope that SBY's choice of his ministers is not based on political compromise.

He has to choose the right people for the right position, and they must be individuals of credibility and integrity. Good luck President SBY.

Yasmin
Tangerang, Banten

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