SBY on CNN about Corruption, Islam & Democracy

By: Emma Kwee

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is in good company as he was interviewed for CNN's Talk Asia. In this weekly program, people that influence Asia or can be seen as role models, are interviewed by rotating anchors of CNN.  Chinese grand slam champion Na Li, football legend Pele, Jay Z and Jet Li were all featured on Talk Asia.

Interviewer Andrew Stevens asked SBY about corruption, growth, islam and democracy and radicalism. It proved an engaging converstation, with the president revealing his biggest challenges and concerns, as well as his favorite passtime: singing.

SBY, president of the Republic of Indonesia

By: Ed Caffin

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also known as “SBY”, is the president of the Republic of Indonesia. In the first ever direct president elections, in 2004, he became the sixth president of Indonesia. Since then, he managed to bring economic and political stability to the worlds third-largest democracy. For the future, SBY foresees an increasingly important role for Indonesia in the world. This article offers an overview of SBY's political career and his vision for Indonesia.

A future for Indonesia

In the second -and last- term of Yudhoyono’s presidency, attention shifted to Indonesia’s international position. His international politics focusses on the areas of peace, anti-terrorism, democracy and economic development. With this focus, SBY is trying to put Indonesia forward as an emerging leading country in the world.

As a democracy and the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia already plays an important role in the fight against terrorism. Moreover, the country has a enormous economic potential. If that will materialize, will largely depend on the guidance of President Yudhoyono. The visit of Obama in November 2010 was a solid first step in US-Indonesian relations.

Welcome back, Obama!

By: Dalih Sembiring and Emma Kwee

Obama cancelled his trip to Indonesia in March to help push the health care reform bill through Congress. He cancelled it again in June to deal with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Now, the itinerary for US President Barack Obama’s visit to the country, part of his four-nation trip to Asia, brought him to Indonesia. His visit was cut short because of the ash clouds of uncooperative Merapi volcano near Yogya, but he made a lasting impression anyway.

As usual, the normally overcrowded jam packed streets of the capital were swept clean, on which Obama commented: “The landscape has changed completely since I was here in 1967. I remember people on becak or bemo, which were sort of like mobile taxis…Now, as president, I can’t see the traffic. The streets are blocked,” he joked, which made the crowd of officials and reporters laugh out loud.

The Jakarta residents were not as pleased, since the road blockade extended all the way to Jl. Sudirman, the city’s main thoroughfare. It was a taste of what life in Jakarta might be like if its roads were always as clear as they were made for Obama.



SBY cancels trip to The Netherlands…much ado about nothing?

By: Willy van Rooijen ‘’A case of much ado about nothing.” This headline in the Jakarta Post reflects the opinion of most Indonesian critics on the canceled state visit of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). The trip to The Netherlands was canceled as a lawsuit was filed by activists of the Republic of South Maluku (RMS) living in The Netherlands. They wanted to have SBY arrested on his arrival on charges of human rights violations against Moluccan separatists. They had raised the RMS flag when SBY visited the regional capital of Ambon. Under detention during that time, they had been tortured. Indonesian human rights groups strongly reacted to SBY’s surprise decision. Choirul Anam of the Indonesian Human Rights Working Group said that SBY ‘’blew things out of proportion” in canceling his trip. Haris Azhar from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras): “The government thinks the RMS movement is a threat. But there is a huge gap between what they are afraid of and reality. There is no need for law enforcement against them.’’ Haris said that charging people hoisting the RMS flag with treason was a ‘’kneejerk reaction’’. Critics also said that the cancellation actually achieved the opposite of what SBY might have wa