CAN SBY HANDLE IT?
Image source: tempo.co.id
By Beni Bevly
The latest domestic politics development in Indonesia in relationship with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution on Iran has attracted my attention. As I wrote in “Risk of Backing Iran in Nuclear Development” that Indonesian Government had signed the UNSC resolution to tighten sanctions on Iran over its uranium enrichment program, but on the other side the government also backed Iran in developing nuclear for peace purpose. This contradiction raised questions from other members of UNSC. The other members thought that Indonesia government did not support UNSC decision fully.
Interestingly, in domestic politics, many politicians and House of Representatives (DPR) members did not agree with government decision signing the resolution. They did not even mention and did not feel enough that Indonesian government had backed Iran’s nuclear development contradictorily. They only saw that the government had supported UNSC decision.
In this case, even former president Abdurrahman Wahid alias Gus Dur said he supported the intention of 183 DPR members to exercise their interpellation right over the government. Meanwhile, a DPR member of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, Effendy Choirie, said a written proposal for the exercise of the interpellation right over the government’s support to the UNSC resolution on Iran was now circulating among House members and was already signed by more than 75 legislators. The number was expected to increase in the coming days, he said. (Antara, 27/3 and 30/3/2007).
This would be a critical test case for Indonesian’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Would the exercise of interpellation right from DPR affect his next moves? Can he handle it? For people who support political reformation, SBY is considered too slow. He always tries keeping the balance of power. That’s why he is also considered too “soft.”
In changing society like in Indonesia, what type of leaders that can lead people to prosperity? In my opinion, transformational leader would be the best suit in this situation.
Bass, in his research Theory of Transformational and Transactional Leadership (1985, 1997), believed that transformational leaders possessed the following characteristics:
Vision
Transformational leaders are inherently future-oriented. They involve helping a group move “from here to there.” These types of leaders also recognize the shortcomings of present order and offer an imaginative vision to overcome them.
Rhetorical Skills
In addition to having vision, transformational leaders have superb rhetorical skills that heighten followers’ emotional levels and inspire them to embrace the vision. Many transformational leaders use speech techniques like repetition, rhythm, balance, and alliteration to strengthen the impact of their messages.
Image and trust building
Transformational leaders build trust in their leadership and attainability of their goals through an image of seemingly unshakable self-confidence, strength of moral conviction, personal example and self-sacrifice, and unconventional tactics or behaviors.
Personalized leadership
Transformational leaders share strong personal bonds with followers, even when the leader occupies a formal organizational role. Personalized leadership from these leaders has three important components. 1. Transformational leaders are sensitive to the emotional states of follower. 2. They also tend to be emotionally expressive. 3. They empower followers by building their self-efficacy.
The above characteristics put transformational leader in the picture that they serve to change the status quo by appealing to followers’ values an their sense of higher purpose. Where as transactional leaders occurred when leaders and followers were in some type of exchange relationship in order to get needs met. This type of leadership could be quite effective, it did not result in organizational or society change and instead tended to perpetuate and legitimize the status quo.
Does SBY fit into these characteristics? If so, the exercise of interpellation right from House of Representatives (DPR) will be easily managed by him.
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*Beni Bevly holds BA in Political Science, MBA in Marketing, and is a DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) candidate. He is the founder of Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia.
I don’t think that we need a transformational leader to lead people to prosperity and tackle all the obstacles alongside.
We need a strong leader who will not worry much of being accused of undemocratic, of violating human rights, of not pleasing united states of not following the constitution. As long as it is for the sake of his own people, he will do whatever needed to do.
The Indonesians are simply not ready yet for living the life of ‘democratic’ dreams and ideals.
Indratno Widiarto
3 Apr 07 at 11:35 pm
Indratno,
Thank you for your intelligent comments. There are three elements that I did not address in this article. First, a lot of Indonesian leaders are “afraid” to be considered that they are not Islam enough. Second, paternalistic characteristic is so strong in Indonesia culture. Third, a lot of leaders who take the advantages of democracy, especially decentralization system.
These three, combined with Indratno’s ideas, become the main barriers for Indonesia to implement democracy successfully.
Beni Bevly
5 Apr 07 at 11:07 am
It seems that we have different point of views in seeing democracy
I couldn’t agree more with your three elements.
Adding my ‘ideas’ as you called it, to those three is, in my opinion, too premature.
Let’s take a look at history:
Singapore: Do you think it was built upon democracy?
Unites States Of America: Do you think it was built upon democracy? (please look back to the era of slavery for this matter)
UK, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain….
Don’t you think that ‘they’ don’t take advantages of democracy just for their own benefit?
Who was supporting Batista? Shah Reza Pahlevi? Marcos? Soeharto? And all other corrupt regimes? That ‘democratic’ country, wasn’t it?
I dream about democracy day and night as you do…but not that fast and not as define by those who only takes benefit of it.
Kindly regards,
Indratno
Indratno Widiarto
10 Apr 07 at 1:24 am
[...] come across with unexpected, yet excited idea. One of the comments on the article that I wrote (Can SBY Handle it?) triggered me to write this article. Here is the comment: Indratno Widiarto said on April 10, 2007 [...]
Overseas Think Tank for Indonesia » ARE INDONESIANS READY FOR DEMOCRACY?
10 Apr 07 at 10:39 am