SBY asks officials to stop the blame game

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told state officials on Friday to accept criticism as positive feedback to improve the administration.

When hosting iftar, the evening meal to break the fast, at the Presidential Palace, he called on public officials to kick the habit of blaming each other when something went wrong. He said he took criticism as positive input.

“I, as head of state, and other government officials should accept the criticism and use it to boost their performance,” he said.

Vice President Boediono, Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Ali and other heads of state institutions as well as Cabinet ministers attended the gathering.

Yudhoyono claimed that the country had made a lot of progress since the reform era began more than 10 years ago despite some problems, such as corruption and bureaucracy.

The President also called on all institutions and NGOs to join forces to solve problems as a nation.

“Other institutions, such as political parties, the media and other stakeholders in the country should join hands to make the country great,” he said.

The President also called on the public to stop passing the blaming for things that went wrong.

“All stakeholders must accept that there are still weaknesses in the country and we must work hard to fix it. We must also stop blaming and pointing the finger,” Yudhoyono said.

The iftar was held four days after he delivered the State of the Nation address before legislators Monday.

Many legislators, including those from the Golkar Party, a member of Yudhoyono’s ruling coalition, criticized the President’s speech, which they said failed to address crucial issues facing the country.

House Deputy Speaker Pramono Anung from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the President failed to touch on the issue of interreligious tensions and the recent spate of exploding 3-kilogram LPG canisters that have claimed the lives of many low-income people. The canisters are provided by the government for free as part of efforts to replace hugely popular kerosene as cooking fuel.

Antigraft activists also criticized the President’s speech, saying he failed to win public confidence in the government’s efforts to combat corruption.

Transparency International Indonesia secretary-general Teten Masduki dismissed the President’s speech as a partisan ploy that showered its audience with promises.

In his speech, Yudhoyono said fighting corruption required “more systematic legal instruments” in addition to the corrective measures already in place.