[Koran-Digital] Rizal Ramli: A question of leadership, not policy

Rizal Ramli: A question of leadership, not policy
Jum'at, 27 April 2012 , 00:18:00 WIB



WHEN a prominent retired army commander criticized the government after
it first unveiled plans to lower fuel subsidies, President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono's response was that the general's remarks were
inappropriate. Yudhoyono retorted in the press that he thought his
opponent was jealous after having lost the 2009 elections and this
explained, in fact, why the errant general lambasted his administration.

Who exactly was acting inappropriately in this instance is a debatable
one. But there is another, more interesting issue at hand that warrants
closer inspection. For sure, there are economic arguments for raising
fuel prices. There are alternatives that can substitute subsidies for
long-term policy.

What Yudhoyono does not understand, however, is the logic of demand and
supply curves and the world of efficiencies taught in the classroom are
an entirely different, matter from how a leader can sell policies that
require sacrifice from the public. On this score he fared miserably, for
it seems that very few people were willing to follow him.

When the fuel-price proposal first failed to pass muster with the public
and then massive street protests led to the government temporarily
backing down, Yudhoyono put the blame for this staunch about-face on the
politicians that didn't show unswerving support inside the halls of the
House of Representatives. Since Yudhoyono first entered office in 2004,
blaming others for failure has been one of his trademarks. Hopefully it
will not be the legacy for which he is most remembered.

If Yudhoyono wants to lead the public with a better chance of success
next time around, he should first ask himself why there were so many
protests over the fuel-price policy.

It was not because, as he imagined, that some elite politicians were
looking to play street politics and paid off demonstrators in a bid to
topple him from power. Rather, it was because some very disgruntled
Indonesians -- the same people who have to toil every day just to make
ends meet and therefore were the ones who had the most to lose from
higher fuel prices -- believe public officials are interested solely in
abusing their positions for selfish interests.

Why, then, could we ever think that voters would be willing to bow to
anybody in high office-making grandiloquent statements that they should
manage to survive on even less of their hard-earned money?

The bottom line is there has been more at play here than simple
economics. What has been striking the chords of anger is a general sense
of unfairness in how the elite governs the country. And the starkest
example of this unfairness is the gross misapplication of justice in
cases involving corruption.

When it comes to shady deals being made by powerful politicians, there
is a widespread belief -- probably for good reason -- that the arms of
the law will never lay its hands on the privileged few. Others, less
privileged and committing less heinous crimes, have faced much harsher
punishment by the judiciary.

As Yudhoyono sits in the palace and ponders why his popularity has hit
an all-time low, he should think about how the scandals surrounding his
political party have tainted the public's perception of his presidency.
If his party had instead remained clean, there would have been a good
chance that Indonesians would have been less uncompromising in their
stance against Yudhoyono's fuel-price policy. But if the President's men
remain above the law, then why should anybody outside the palace grounds
grant them any legitimacy -- which, as many heads of state have learned
the hard way, is the most precious of political commodities and the sine
qua non (essential element) of leadership?

Yudhoyono has also failed to understand that if he is to succeed in
leading his people, he must be able to move beyond visions of change and
turn them into reality. Up until now, Yudhoyono has impressed
Indonesians and his peers abroad with the ability to articulate his
ideas for progress.

Yet ideas alone do not win the hearts and minds of the people. Great
leaders such as Mahathir, Fidel Ramos, Lee Kuan Yew, Margaret Thatcher
and Bill Clinton were not only able to inspire and move their followers
with words, but proved that they could deliver results. It is this type
of leadership that is sorely lacking in the Yudhoyono administration.

More than seven years into his presidency, it is no surprise that
Indonesians have come to heavily discount the President's words.
Recovering any semblance of credibility with his erstwhile supporters
will require him to start working hard to show tangible results on his
past promises of a better future for Indonesians. Working toward that
end, he would probably be well advised to start thinking more about his
constituents' welfare than trying to remove fuel subsidies.

The main lesson for Indonesians, I think, is simple yet profound: When
it comes time for selecting Yudhoyono's successor, they will have to
consider whether the person they choose is not only a good speaker but
also possesses the competence to provide the types of change they are
looking for.

Good looks and eloquence are fine for winning popularity contests, and
it might even be a prerequisite for having a chance of becoming a viable
political candidate. But a true democracy consists of much more than
just holding elections. It also means having a government that serves
the people.

The writer is a former coordinating economic minister. This article was
published in Jakarta Post's April 27, 2012 edition.

http://www.rmol.co/read/2012/04/27/61915/Rizal-Ramli:-A-question-of-leadership,-not-policy-

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