ndonesia held its presidential election on September 20th, and voters chose challenger Susilo Yudhoyono in what appears to be a landslide over incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri. Mr. Yudhoyono, nicknamed SBY, is a retired general who served under former dictator Suharto. He is considered to be a secularist, though his views on how to combat terrorism are somewhat of a mystery; he is also considered to be more of a detail-oriented leader than Ms. Megawati, according to the New York Times. Mr. Yudhoyono has not claimed victory yet, he must wait for Ms. Megawati to concede, but it appears as though Indonesia’s transition to democracy has been a success. An editorial in Republika, an Indonesian paper, wrote that the election, which marks the first time citizens were able to directly elect their leader, was a, “golden chance for all Indonesian political elites, religious and social figures to unite and enter the gate which society has opened.” If initial reports are right, Indonesians seized the opportunity and proved that Islamic democracy can work, and their first directly elected president is going about organizing his administration.
Mr. Yudhoyono is not a newcomer to public life. A former general who served under Suharto, he actually supported the dictator’s ouster in 1996. He remained in government after Suharto’s fall, and is perceived as having “an air of gravity and confidence,” reported the Economist.com. He is popular with citizens, and his work as security minister under Ms. Megawati was integral in Indonesia’s participation in the United States-led War on Terror. As security minister, he was responsible for the jailing of the terrorists who committed bombings in Jakarta and Bali, which led to more than 100 arrests. For his work concerning terrorism, specifically the Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaida-sponsored bombings, he earned the nickname “the thinking general,” the Seattle Times reported. However, he has been less than clear about how he will handle the terrorist threat as president. Fundamentalist Islamic groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaida are major obstacles for the world’s largest Muslim democracy.
The year 2004 has proven to be a watershed year for Indonesia’s 8-year old experiment with democracy. So far, the country has held 3 elections this year, all of which were, for the most part, peaceful and orderly. The first, in April was a parliamentary election in which the Partai Golongan Karya party won 21.6% of votes cast, more than any other group. The party is authoritarian in nature, but is balanced out by the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan party, the Struggling Indonesian Democratic party, who won 18.5% of the vote. Ms. Megawati is a member of the Demokrasi Indonesia Perhuangan party, but Mr. Yudhoyono is a member of the Partai Demokrat, the Democratic Party, which controls 7.5% of the parliament, according to ElectionWorld.com.
The second election, in July, was the first round of the presidential race, in which Ms. Megawati and Mr. Yudhoyono competed against General Wiranto, famous for his role in the East Timor conflict where international NGOs accuse him of committing war crimes. Ms. Megawati and Mr. Susilo emerged as the final candidates, and campaign season began in earnest. Complicating matters was Mr. Yudhoyono’s previous role as security minister for Ms. Megawati, a position he resigned in March after deciding to run for the presidency, according to CNN.com.
Ms. Megawati was not prepared to give up the presidency without a fight, campaigning fervently in the months leading up to the election. The president used all of her influence and power in an attempt to swing votes her way, including passing a “generous” budget, and allegedly using her influence to persuade local government officials to order their workers to support her, the Economist.com reported. To her credit, she has promised a diplomatic transfer of power if Mr. Yudhoyono is declared the victor on October fifth.
In the days leading up to the election, Mr. Yudhoyono retained a substantial lead over his opponent. According to the Economist.com, the former general was up by as many as 30 points 4 days before voters took to the polls. Exit polls and estimates given in the days immediately following the election showed about the same margin of victory. However, the final count will not be announced until October 5th and even though no election violations were observed, nothing is official until Mr. Yudhoyono is declared the winner. What is promising, however, is the peaceful election and what, by all indications will be a non-violent handing over of power in a country that, less than a decade ago, was subject to dictatorship and was without an honest, direct electoral process.
With victory appearing imminent, Mr. Yudhoyono gathered his advisors at his home after the election and began working out policy initiatives. His advisers pledged to follow through on a campaign promise to end corruption, and said their boss would not hesitate to prosecute dishonest officials. Advisers also announced Mr. Yudhoyono’s intent to model his administration after the U.S. model of creating formal offices, such as those in the White House, of having at least one central location where policymaking and decisions occur, the Washington Post reported.
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