Critics slam SBY for ‘uninspiring’ state of the nation address

Uninspiring and superficial were two words critics used to describe the President’s state of the nation address before lawmakers and senators on Monday.

President Susilo Bambang Yu-dhoyono’s speech “failed to win the confidence of the public, who have now become so pessimistic about his willingness to work seriously” to put an end to the corrupt practices that are plaguing the country, Transparency International Indonesia secretary-general Teten Masduki said Tuesday.

Yudhoyono gave his state-of-the-nation address during a joint plenary session between the House of Representatives and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) on Monday, outlining his presidency’s development vision for the next four years.

The address, delivered to commemorate Indonesia’s 65th Independence anniversary, was his first during his second term as President.

During his speech, Yudhoyono mentioned the issue of judicial corruption. He said fighting corruption required a “more systematic legal instrument” in addition to the corrective measures already in place.

“We must also ensure that collusion between state officials and businessmen, which is clearly illegal and detrimental to the state, is continually prevented and eradicated.”

Teten dismissed the speech as a partisan ploy, showering its audience with promises.

“I am afraid that the speech was prettier than the reality,” he said.

“This is his second term in office but we have yet to see a corruption eradication program that works well.”

Teten mentioned the countless corruption cases that have infested the police force lately, one of the latest being the bloated bank accounts of its high-ranking officials.

“Yudhoyono does not have the courage to axe those generals. In his speech he talked about bureaucratic reform, but it has to start with cleaning up [the state institutions], starting with the top [officials] who are corrupt,” he said.

Criticism also came from human rights activist Usman Hamid of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), who said Yudhoyono had failed to touch on the fundamental issues in his speech.

“The public had hoped Yudho-yono would direct his attention to the actual circumstances, one example of which was the recent attacks on members of a congregation in Bekasi Indah, which give rise to the question of whether Indonesia a country of religious tolerance,” he said.

The attack on the HKBP Pondok Timur congregation in Bekasi last week left up to 20 people injured. The Islamic Community Forum (FUI), affiliated with the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), was reportedly behind the assault.

“The President should have reaffirmed the constitutionality of our basic human rights, of every citizen’s religious [freedom],” Usman told The Jakarta Post.

During his speech, Yudhoyono called on the public to “continuously maintain and strengthen our brotherly spirit, harmony and tolerance as a nation” so citizens could have their individual rights fulfilled.

“In our everyday lives, we still find incidences that do not reflect harmony, tolerance or mutual respect among the various components of our society, who may have different identities in terms of religion, ethnicity, race or religion,” he said.

The joint plenary session between legislators and senators was the first of its kind in Indonesian history and was regarded as a new step towards a more ideal parliamentary system. (gzl)