Yuddy Chrisnandi: A rebel with a cause

Prodita Sabarini , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Sun, 07/20/2008 10:38 AM | People

Lawmaker Yuddy Chrisnandi did not have a clear political ambition when he entered politics by joining the ruling party, Golkar, 16 years ago.

Now, he says he is inspired to be the next leader of the largest political party in Indonesia.

"Whenever needed by Golkar and with strong backing from members, I am ready to lead, improve and develop the party," he said.

The 40-year-old, however, just demonstrated a unique way of paving his way to the top. Last month, Yuddy risked his political career by publicly defying the party line established by majority vote among fellow party members.

Bandung-born Yuddy was the only one in his faction to vote in favor of the parliamentary review of the government's unpopular decision to raise fuel prices. Aside from Golkar, chaired by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, other parties united against the fuel price increase and demanded a parliamentary review.

Despite his rebellious move, his career as lawmaker is still safe. Golkar, under public scrutiny on the fuel price issue and currently losing popularity to the Indonesian Party of Struggle (PDI-P), according to IndoBarometer, only gave him a warning for breaking ranks. Yuddy, who graduated from Padjajaran University's School of Economics, got wide publicity for his political stand.

One could interpret his move as a sincere shift to side with public opinion. Others might see it as a smart political move to win hearts and minds, amidst the sliding popularity of Golkar.

However people see it, Yuddy who sits in the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs, security and defense, said that he based his political decision on the people. "Vox populi, vox dei. The voice of the people is the voice of god," he said.

In his office on the 13th floor of the Nusantara I building at the House of Representatives, Yuddy explained why he broke with the party line, why he entered politics, his views on a more democratic Golkar and why he thinks that the more corrupt lawmakers end up behind bars, the better.

He enters his picture-filled office swiftly. The wall of his office is covered with pictures of United States leaders: Bill Clinton, John F Kennedy and Theodore Roosevelt, next to pictures of first Indonesian president Sukarno and first Indonesian military chief General Sudirman. Another wall shows his own pictures at world landmark locations, in front of Big Ben, St. Petersburg Church and the White House.

He wears a neat short crew cut and has a baby face. His firm and serious attitude compensates for his boyish face. He walks into his office swiftly and calls out various orders to his three assistants. After he finishes dictating 'to do' lists to his assistants, he starts to pay attention to me.

"Thirty minutes will be enough, yeah?" he said. The interview stretches into 45.

Commenting on his controversial move, he said that he wanted to build a critical culture within Golkar.

He thinks the reaction of Golkar leaders to his stand proved that it is a democratic party.

"Party leaders were tolerant. They did not recall or fire me. A warning is normal," he said. "I think I have made a breakthrough in Golkar's institutional life, helping establish a critical tradition. This is a new idea, where differences of view will be seen as something normal. The important thing is that we can stand up for what we believe through rational argument," he said.

This was different from the Golkar he entered 16 years ago, when the will of former New Order regime leader president Soeharto dominated everything, he said.

This critical style was his contribution to the development of the party. "This is the least that I can do, as I haven't yet reached a top position in the party," he said.

As a Golkar member, he is preparing himself for leadership and has a vision on how to develop and improve Golkar so it will become a stronger party and closer to the people.

Yuddy has come a long way toward his political ambitions, which were not formed when he entered the party.

He said he entered politics to channel his love of activism. He was a student activist in Padjadjaran University and a member of the Muslim Student Association (HMI). After he graduated from studying economics at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, he worked in a bank and did not settle down to the routine.

He followed the suggestion of the late former Indonesia ambassador to Canada and senior Golkar member, Eki Syahrudin, to join the party. He knew Eki from his university activist days in HMI, in which Eki had also been active.

"Eki influenced me a lot. He was the reason I joined Golkar," he said.

"Before I entered a political party, my views on all three parties were vague. Golkar was very New Order-centric, whatever Pak Harto said -- it followed. There was no creativity in thinking, and no idealism. PDI-P at that time was critical, but did not have the power to do anything about it, as Golkar was too powerful. PPP (the United Development Party) was unclear on its position as an Islamic party. It did not fight for Islamic interests and did not have the courage to be an opposition party, even though it did not identify with the government," he said,

"Eki Syahrudin was major influence on my joining Golkar. He was a respected figure. He was a 66 activist. That's why I followed his advice," he said.

Yuddy now wants Golkar to become a stronger political party. The way to do it, he says, is to revitalize the organization through consolidation, by building membership and by creating sustainable long-term programs.

The reason there are so many House of Representatives (DPR) members arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is because political parties do not have quality leadership-building programs, resulting in poor DPR candidate selection.

He said it was a good thing the KPK was scrutinizing the House carefully. "The more corrupt officials are caught by the KPK, the better," he said.

"That will clean up the DPR from criminals and improve its image as an institution."

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