Quake politics: Indonesian leader quick to act

Gantiwarno (Indonesia), June 2: Sri Sukantun was too weak to reach out to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he walked past her flattened house in earthquake-hit Central Java province this week.

But the mother of two, who lost her parents in the May 27 quake on the island of Java, was still delighted to see the leader of the world's fourth most populous country.

''I felt very happy that the president could come here so fast and it showed he cares so much about the people,'' she said, while showing cuts and bruises on her head and arms.

In contrast to US President George W Bush, who came under heavy fire last year for taking days to appear in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Yudhoyono rushed to Yogyakarta, the main city in the quake area, within hours, setting up an office there to oversee the response.

''Too bad I could not come near him when he passed by because I was still weak,'' Sukantun said in Gantiwarno district, one of the worst affected areas in Central Java's Klaten regency.

More than 6,000 people were killed in Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces after the magnitude 6.3 quake shook houses to pieces.

Whether Yudhoyono's high profile move ultimately helps his recently sagging political standing remains to be seen, but local officials said his presence was uplifting.

''He came with an intensity to supervise us from up close. We did not dare to play around. He would rap us and then give constructive criticism during meetings,'' said Yogyakarta provincial secretary Bambang Susanto Priyohadi.

Yudhoyono stayed in Yogyakarta for five days, visiting hospitals, aid depots and remote villages where survivors wept in front of him.

''The people became courageous in telling him directly about their plight,'' said Priyohadi.

Gantiwarno district head Sugeng Haryanto walked with Yudhoyono when he came there and said the ex-general's presence left some survivors speechless.

''When they came face to face with the president, they just whimpered. Their mouths could not utter words,'' he said.

''I had to put on a brave face in front of my residents but I was actually crying inside,'' said the overseer of Gantiwarno's 16 villages.

Yudhoyono returned to Jakarta mid-week and his vice president, Jusuf Kalla, came to Yogyakarta the next day, causing speculation about whether Kalla's visit would help his own influence and political positioning.

QUAKE POLITICS

The quake also triggered Indonesian political parties to dispatch aid teams, prominently displaying party logos and colours, that were among the first to provide survivors with food, medical care and tents. The face of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, who lost to Yudhoyono in the 2004 polls, dominated an aid post run by stalwarts of her party on the main road in Gantiwarno. A large banner said: ''Mega is better. It's better with Mega.'' A recent poll showed Yudhoyono's popularity at its lowest since he defeated Megawati, mainly because many Indonesians felt his economic policies had thus far failed to improve their lot.

Yudhoyono promised in his campaign to make reducing unemployment a top priority but has shown little headway on that front, while a sharp fuel price hike by his government last year was a prime factor in a doubling of the inflation rate.

Asked if Yudhoyono's presence in the quake-devastated areas would boost his ratings, respected pollster Muhammad Qodari told Reuters by telephone from Jakarta that it was too early to tell.

''People like his personality but they are disappointed with his economic policies. Touring the quake zones cemented the image that he's a caring guy but this may not make up for economic gripes,'' said Qodari from the Indonesian Survey Circle which publicised the president's popularity drop.

Back in Gantiwarno, shop owner Warsidi summed it up.

''I am happy he came but I will be happier if I can start my business again,'' he said, while salvaging undamaged bottles of soy sauce from his collapsed kiosk.

REUTERS

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