Combination photo shows the key ministers in Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's newly unveiled cabinet: Top, left to right, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, head of a new presidential unit to speed up reform of the civil service and accelerate big infrastructure projects, Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Mines and Energy Minister Darwin Saleh, and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa. Bottom, left to right, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring. (Handout and Crack Palinggi and Supri/Reuters)

Indonesia: You call this reform?

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's new cabinet has caused some head-scratching.

By Peter Gelling - GlobalPost
Published: October 22, 2009 05:45 ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia — As the names of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s revamped cabinet began to leak Wednesday, it became clear that the liberal former general would not wield his overwhelming mandate in the manner everyone had hoped.

Though his much praised economic team remains largely intact, with some hopeful new additions, many of the other posts look poised to be filled by lackluster political appointees, analysts said.

The reform-minded president won a second and final five-year term in July with 60 percent of the vote. The Democrat Party, which he founded only six years ago, is now the largest party in a crowded parliament.

Having won by such a margin, anticipation was high that Yudhoyono would use this new clout to appoint highly effective professionals who could tackle enduring issues like endemic graft, crumbling infrastructure, rampant poverty and an unreliable judicial system.

Instead, the president appears to have acquiesced, reserving only economic posts for the technocrats while doling out others, like the key ministry of law and human rights, to members of the handful of political parties that supported his re-election bid.

Peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections earlier this year, coupled with the government’s smooth handling of the economic crisis, has made Indonesia one of the most stable democracies in Southeast Asia.

But major reforms are still needed to increase foreign investment and reduce poverty. Analysts has hoped Yudhoyono would have the stregnth to push through such reforms during his second term.

“It was a surprise and somewhat disappointing that he made so many political accommodations this time around,” said Endy Bayuni, chief editor of the Jakarta Post, the country’s main English-language newspaper. “We were all hoping that the president, given his mandate, wouldn’t need to oblige so many politicians.”

During his second inauguration speech on Tuesday, the president made a point of the need for reform within the country’s fractured justice system.

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Posted by Ben Johnson on October 22, 2009 12:27 ET

Absolutely disappointing are the only words to describe the start of SBY's second term. Having watch Indonesia suffer through the growing pains of Gus Dur and Megawati, SBY's first term was a shining light. He didn't have the power with the first parliament to accomplish everything. Corruption at all levels is still rampant and is a heavy drag on the entire country. Why SBY shackled himself with such a poor choice of cabinet members is a baffling question. I hope he doesn't have intentions to line his pockets with money like Suharto before his term ends.

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