Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says democracy and human rights should not be considered the absolute goals of the Indonesian nation.
"Democracy, human rights, concern for the environment and other concepts being promoted by Western countries are all good, but they cannot become absolute goals because pursuing them as such will not be good for the country," he was quoted as saying by state news agency Antara.
The minister was speaking Saturday in the North Sumatra capital of Medan at a seminar on religion, the mass media and world peace. The event was organized by the Waspada daily newspaper and the State Institute of Islamic Studies. Yudhoyono said not all of the concepts espoused by Western countries need necessarily be adopted, as the most important thing for Indonesia is to maintain balance and proper law enforcement.
His latest comments are quite different from the remarks he made at the annual dinner of the United States – Indonesia Society (USINDO) on September 19 in Washington DC. In a speech entitled "Keeping the Promise of Reformasi", he told the USINDO dinner that Indonesia's key challenge is "to connect democracy with good governance". "I do not have a crystal ball in front of me, but I know that Indonesia will come out of the smoke and haze with a stronger, more vibrant democracy. I know this because in all the places I have visited through Indonesia – Aceh, Ambon, Balikpapan, Makassar, Medan, Yogyakarta, Padang, Jayapura – in all these places, I have met countless Indonesians who conveyed to me with glowing eyes that they continue to believe in the promise of democracy and reformasi," he said.
He further said: "Democracy does not automatically give us national unity, economic recovery, political stability, human rights, social equity or security. Democracy and reformasi can only deliver these things if it is furnished with good governance." He also said Indonesia must continue to consolidate its democratic system. "This requires developing the rules and norms which guide our democratic system, and, more importantly, pushing the Indonesian body politic to develop a habit to working with that system. This also requires a more open policy processes and greater accountability in government."
Commonly referred to as SBY, the 53-year-old retired four-star general, is regarded by many observers as a dark horse for this year's presidential elections. He is untainted by corruption allegations, while his rising popularity has seen him surge ahead of President Megawati Sukarnoputri and several other major contenders in opinion polls.
Nonetheless, some analysts say he is unlikely to win because of his lack of a broad political constituency. So far he had only been named the presidential candidate of the tiny Democratic Party. Presidential aspirant Amien Rais, who is speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly and leader of the National Mandate Party, is rumored to be seeking Yudhoyono as his running mate.