Don't be deceived by the loud protests and criticisms that we have been hearing these days as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marks the first 100-days of his second term in office on Thursday. Marred by two major controversies, the new administration may be struggling to get off the ground, but two new independent surveys show the President remains hugely popular.

Indobarometer's survey indicated a 15 percent decline in Yudhoyono's approval rating from the time after he was elected in August, to 75 percent last week. The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found his popularity at 68.9 percent.

In contrast, US President Barack Obama, marking his first year in office last week, enjoyed a 57 percent job approval rating among Americans, according to a Gallup poll. Obama was also hugely popular when he was elected in November 2008, but his strong popularity, in spite of the troubles with his healthcare bill, may be due to the fact that he is a first term president where the honeymoon usually lasts longer.

Yudhoyono's standing among his people today would be the envy of any democratically elected leader anywhere in the world. Bear in mind this is his second term in office, so the honeymoon is short. If we go by Indobarometer and the LSI surveys, there is no reason not to believe them, Yudho-yono is still the people's President.

But his obsession with his popularity has probably become his biggest problem. He has not done much in the first 100-days other than fend off criticism by skirting his way around big controversies. He has not provided the leadership that many people hoped to see when they voted for him in July, and still do not see today after more than three months since his inauguration.

How much leadership he provides to this nation can be gauged by the number of times he has appeared on the front pages of mainstream newspapers or become a top TV news item. We have not seen much of that lately. When we did, it was mostly to respond to criticism.

Admittedly, making newspaper headlines is not a good measure of his leadership, but the infrequency of his appearances indicates a President that is not really in control of the country's direction. Instead he has allowed others, including his own close aides, to wrestle most of the initiatives away from him and determine the national agenda.

National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri stole the limelight from the President's National Summit to launch the government's new 100-day program in October, when he arrested the deputies of the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK), and made sure that he got into the headlines for the next few days and weeks. News about

Yudhoyono's summit, and the substance of the 100-day program got buried or was lost.

The KPK controversy died down after his somewhat belated intervention, but another one is still brewing, with Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati facing a parliamentary inquiry over their role in the 2008 bailout of Bank Century. The House's politicians have used the inquiry as a "bully pulpit" and have made a name for themselves in doing so.

This is the story of a president who is powerful yet somewhat powerless, almost a repeat of 2004 after his first term election. Like five years ago, this time the President came into the office with so much political capital with more than 60 percent of the votes. He has even cobbled together a formidable coalition that technically enjoys 75 percent of support in the House. But as in 2004, he appears to be squandering the opportunities presented.

Any president serving his last term (since by law he cannot run again in 2014) would use such a huge support base to start building a legacy. He would dispense with any notion of trying to remain popular and expend the huge political capital he has (and he still has most of it three months into office) on doing what is right for the country and for the people, and not simply doing what is popular.

Let's hope the third album of the nine new songs he composed, titled Ku Yakin Sampai Di Sana (I Believe I will get There), which he released last week, will be his last until after 2014. Mr. President, it's time to retake the wheel and steer this ship, which has been drifting aimlessly, in the right course. Only then can we believe that we will all get there.