Discourses on the necessity of young leaders emerging in the national political arena have raised debates among many facets of society, including the young generation itself. The Jakarta Post's Annisa M.P. Rochadiat recently talked with young Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Budiman Sudjatmiko about this issue and others in Indonesian politics.

1. What is the state of leadership in Indonesia? Is there a leadership crisis here?

I don't think there is any crisis of leadership. I think we've got plenty of leaders from the youth sector, the workers, professionals, business actors and cultural activists,

The point is not in the source of leadership, but rather in the institutions that channel these potential leaders. There is a bottleneck hindering the leadership regeneration processes. Thirty-two years of authoritarian rule have really blocked the potential of young leaders outside of the military. Be it in business or academia, the capacity to nurture young leaders was simply neglected.

So, when an intensive civil society phenomenon like Reformasi (reform) took place, we are faced with the reality that there is an oversupply of potential candidates. But even then, with the advent of younger generations vying for leadership, not all are qualified enough to take on the position despite a wider opportunity to do so. An oversupply of potential leaders has also stifled any possible generational change between the old and young, because those who are technically of the older generation, but did not assume leadership, are currently vying along with the young.

2. What are the challenges facing Indonesia?

Globalization is a new variable in our system, adding a new dimension to the complexities we faced previously. Issues that countries previously were able to deal with within the boundaries of nation-states are now a common problem, such as global warming. The added complexities lead to new configurations of power and ever-changing circumstances that require leaders who are not only flexible in adapting to the changes, but are also able to preserve their basic principles and values in the process.

We need to go beyond thinking globally and act locally, which would only render us agents of globalization, and start thinking strategically while acting systematically based on our shared principles and foundational values contained in the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution. Globalization doesn't nullify the government's role in meeting its responsibilities to protect the nation, deliver public welfare and establish peace through social justice.

3. What kind of leadership do you think this nation needs?

A visionary leader, someone who is capable of mobilizing and organizing his or her own people in achieving vision and attaining goals; a leader who possesses both intellectual leadership and determination. Intellectual leadership influences our ability to envision where Indonesia should be heading, while a sense of determination is the measurement as to how the people are inspired, organized and mobilized. Depending too much on one or the other can be detrimental, so both qualities are needed, especially in dealing with the global complexities we are faced with today. It is also important that a leader knows the needs and wants of his people. Leadership isn't just about translating theory or concepts. We have many potential new leaders, such as Amien Rais, Pramono Anung and Din Syamsuddin, but as I said, the problem is in the output channel.

4. What is your own vision as a potential future leader?

Internationally, Indonesia needs to catch up with other countries and for this we need a great deal of stability, particularly in the surrounding region. We need to pursue our national interests without jeopardizing regional stability.

Indonesia needs to secure its place as a leader on the Southeast Asian level among ASEAN countries, and to start, we need to focus on strengthening our ties with countries we historically have had good relations with, such as the Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia and Singapore remain important neighbors, but fostering ties with parties who see us as a bad example of democracy will most likely continue to be a challenge. In greater Asia, we need to balance our traditional relations with Japan and South Korea with fostering strategic alliances with China, India and Russia.

Domestically, reforming the bureaucracy by eradicating corruption, enhancing the people's capacity to get involved in participatory budgeting down to the local levels, as well as renegotiating contracts in natural resources management, are among the priority areas of immediate concern.

5. Where do you see yourself in Indonesian politics?

I'm just a young man who got involved in politics, who entered the PDI-P with the same spirit of other young political activists set to reform the party, ensuring that its activities don't venture away from its founding ideals and ideology.

Within the activities of PDI-P, I am an actor set to re-institutionalize and re-ideologize the party in accordance with the four targets of a reformist party: facilitating party regeneration at the local and national level; improving the pattern of new members' recruitment processes, while underlining meritocracy; and improving leadership grooming through training and political courses; as well as improving the pattern of the party's political financing. We hope to nurture leaders who aren't just capable of leading the masses, but are also able to run the bureaucracy, the economy.

6. What is the likelihood of a presidential comeback for Megawati? How would PDI-P contribute for a better Indonesia?

Reforms within the party seem to have brought about promising results. According to a recent public poll, 25 percent of the people said they would vote for us in the coming elections. The odds, therefore, are good. We are, of course, a learning party. We learn from our mistakes and acknowledge our past faults and seek to improve, engaging as many people as we can in the process.

Moreover, many of the PDI-P members who serve as public officers like mayors and governors have actually succeeded in translating the party's program into concrete actions and have received awards for their successful delivery of public services.

7. What kind of a democracy do you think suits Indonesia best?

Like Latin America, Indonesia is still in the learning process. After institutionalizing the procedural aspect of democracy within the last decade and achieving relatively stable governance, our present challenge is to preserve the liberty we have attained and substantiate the democracy with ideals such as social justice and political equality. After 2009, we should already be heading toward becoming a democratic republic of equals in sectors such as the economy, politics and culture.

Liberal democracy is the only game in town. Our nation is a highly diversified one, so democracy is the only ideal mechanism for managing a multitude of interests and distributing opportunities. And we need to be more effective. One political party should ideally represent one political current, not like what's happening now with many political parties representing a single political ideology; it's superfluous.

8. How big a potential and/or role do you think there is for young politicians to take on the helm of political leadership in this country in 2009?

I think we should prepare for beyond the 2009 elections. But if there are young politicians who seek to run for president, then it is, of course, possible. I am, however, a positivist realist. We've been so far occupied by the institutionalization of democratic processes within political parties, and with the disrupted output channel for potential leaders, the feasibility and possibility for young politicians to become leaders beyond 2009 is across the board.

9. What led to your unexpected entrance into mainstream party politics after being a grassroots activist in the mid-90s?

I just entered into mainstream politics in 2004. I had established a political party in 1996 (the PRD) because since the very beginning I believed in the role of political institutions in generating positive change. I may have started out as a resisting force at that time as I rejected the New Order dictatorship. However, during the leadership of Gus Dur in 2001, I realized that the system had changed; our political institutions have managed to organize themselves into a more established democratic system that thrives on political competition and not political resistance.

My experience of studying abroad in the UK has definitely left a mark. I learned how the world is very diverse and complex, and also how democracy works in Western Europe and other countries.

In a democracy, the system is open to reform as long as you have the social capital, namely the knowledge and networking skills. I try to use these two positively to compete under the democratic system, and so I decided to contribute to the betterment of my society by entering the system.

I joined the PDI-P as it underwent reform because I believed I could make a difference based on my beliefs, my commitment to the people and to democracy. Not only do the ideals of the reformist party coincide with my own, but by entering an institution with a constituency as big as the PDI-P, I am able to learn how Indonesian commoners see politics and what their aspirations and expectations are. I now seek to make the party the single greatest motivating factor in pushing Indonesia forward.