T

he recent months leading up to the end of 2011 have been troublesome and appalling for the Indonesian President and his political party. For several months now, the national news in Indonesia has been plagued with news of corruption from ministries and House of Representatives, along with violent acts of religious intolerance.

One would expect that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) would be quick on his feet to deal with the increasing number of inexcusable cases that his government finds itself involved in, but the reality is he’s not. What has made it even worse for the President is that he has been criticized about his slow efforts in reshuffling his Cabinet, and in dealing with the many issues occurring in Indonesia but thus far, little result has been seen.

President Yudhoyono might pride himself on being the first president to be elected democratically, but as Nico Harjanto, a Centre of Strategic and Security Studies (CSIS) researcher wrote in The Indonesian Quarterly for the first quarter of 2011, his inability to respond to challenges and problems appropriately have extended many problems to the Indonesian people.

If we take a look at all the scandals that have occurred inside his Cabinet, the question is more about trust for the Indonesian people rather than anything else. It is no doubt shameful that ministers, diplomats, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) members, and House’s members are linked to big corruption scandals.

It is even more shameful when President Yudhoyono himself has been advocating for the curbing of corruption and collusion in Indonesia. With so many names being mentioned and linked to corruption scandals, it seems like SBY’s presidency will leave a legacy filled with embarrassment and disgrace.

In terms of politics, it is evident that the President will experience continuing turbulence if he continues to fail in managing his authority and popular mandate.

That 60 percent poll result that won SBY his second term in office is slowly diminishing with time. So much focus has been put onto politics, while only a small spotlight has been shone on the issue of religious intolerance. The recent suicide bombing in Surakarta (Solo) might have been prevented had the authorities in Indonesia listened to the ongoing demands for the government to take firmer action in dealing with radicalism and intolerance.

The President has highlighted that radicalism is an issue that needs to be dealt with in a more serious manner, but what we find now is he has done very little to change that. What the Indonesian people are doing is questioning where the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) principle has gone in this country.

Indonesia has been very vocal in wanting to be a global player and to have an increasing role in the international world. If Indonesia wants to move forward both at a national and international level, it will require the President and his government to actually take action.

Indonesia and its authorities should not be complacent about the position in which that they have been recently; instead, they should be rather more concerned because Indonesia is beginning to lose its footing.

Cantika Paramitha R.
Bandung