Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was unperturbed by criticism of his early performance, indicating he was prepared to take unpopular measures to fix the sluggish economy.

"I don't care about my popularity. What matters is I will not stop working for the welfare of the people," he said in a speech opening a meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce.

Yudhoyono, who assumed office last October following a landslide election victory, said some criticism of him was unfair but this would not distract him. "I'm taking a positive point of view while continuing to make improvements," he said.

Yudhoyono has won praise for his handling of the December 26 tsunami disaster by organising a donors' summit in Jakarta and responding to calls for talks from separatist rebels in the badly-hit province of Aceh.

But he has been criticized for his perceived failure to make good on early promises of reforms and pledges to send corrupt officials to jail. The public is also unhappy with his government's decision to reduce costly fuel subsidies, which entails raising prices for some fuel products.

In a poll marking his first 100 days in office, 47 percent of 1,787 people questioned nationally last week said they were satisfied with his economic achievements, compared to 63 percent one month after his inauguration.

The poll by the Kompas newspaper was one of the first indications that the polish which helped Yudhoyono trounce his aloof and lacklustre predecessor Megawati Sukarnoputri was beginning to fade.

Yudhoyono has publicly apologised for failing to keep his promises, but defended his progress on tackling corruption in Indonesia – named by watchdog Transparency International as one of the world's most graft-prone countries.

He said efforts to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami, which killed some 237,000 Indonesians, had thrown his programme off track.