Cablegate: Indonesian President Starts Second Term On A

VZCZCXRO4511
OO RUEHDT RUEHPB
DE RUEHJA #1765 2931055
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201055Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3629
INFO RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001765

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP
NSC FOR D. WALTON

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KDEM ECON SENV ID
SUBJECT: INDONESIAN PRESIDENT STARTS SECOND TERM ON A
POSITIVE NOTE

REF: A. JAKARTA 01360
B. 01727 AND PREVIOUS

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: A packed house of enthusiastic
well-wishers watched as President Yudhoyono and Vice
President-elect Boediono were sworn into office on October
20. The inauguration was attended by five heads of state and
special delegations from eight countries, including THE U.S.
Presidential Delegation led by EPA Administrator Lisa
Jackson. President Yudhoyono began his second term by laying
out his key goals for the next five years: improved
prosperity, a stronger democracy, a corruption-free society
and Indonesian global leadership on critical issues such as
climate change and environmental protection. END SUMMARY.

FLAWLESS CEREMONY WAS WELL ATTENDED

2. (SBU) The Government of Indonesia worked hard to ensure
that all went smoothly at President Yudhoyono and Vice
President Boediono's inauguration and they succeeded.
Seemingly hundreds of officials from the Parliament's
protocol office were on hand to guide the guests through
security checks and into their seats. Nearly every member of
Parliament was there -- 647 of the 692 members -- as well as
former President Habibie and former vice presidents Kalla and
Try Sutrisno along with outgoing cabinet members. Thirteen
foreign delegations attended, including heads of
state/government from Australia, Singapore, Timor Leste,
Malaysia and Brunei. The U.S. Presidential Delegation led by
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
included Ambassador Cameron Hume and Ambassador David
Merrill.

ONE NOTABLE ABSENCE

3. (SBU) The only notable absence from the ceremony was
former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, President Yudhoyono's
primary contender in the presidential race. Her husband,
Taufik Kiemas, received Yudhoyono's support in his recent
successful bid to secure the position of Speaker of the
People's Consultative Assembly. As speaker Kiemas presided
over the ceremony and their daughter, a newly elected MP,
attended the ceremony. It was rumored that Taufik had
promised Yudhoyono his wife would attend. Observers noted
that her absence probably indicates that the party she leads,
PDI-P, will not join the government.

THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: OUR GREATEST CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD

4. (SBU) President Yudhoyono began his second term by
extending the olive branch to his defeated competitors,
saying that no one had lost because democracy in Indonesia
was a victory for everyone. In a brief speech, he hit the key
notes of his vision for Indonesia: improved welfare for the
people; a stronger democracy and a just society. He vowed to
encourage fair, inclusive economic growth, noting that
Indonesia had weathered the global crisis by growing 4 % in
the last two quarters. He emphasized that he is determined to
protect people's human rights without sacrificing naitonal
security. Our greatest challenges, he stressed, lie ahead.

INDONESIA TO BECOME A TRUE WORLD LEADER

5. (SBU) President Yudhoyono promised his citizens that
Indonesia would become a true world leader, with "a million
friends and zero enemies" (see reftel). Nodding to the
foreign delegations, he proclaimed their attendance was a
sign of Inodonesia's good bilateral relationships with their
countries. Indonesia would take the lead, he said, in
climate change and environmental protection, continuing to
negotiate for a solution before the December Copenhagen
summit. Indonesia would also encourage global harmony and
multilateral diplomacy through the UN and ASEAN and in
implementing Millennium Development goals. At home, he is
determined to protect people's human rights without
sacrificing national stability.
HUME

© Scoop Media