Quake politics: Indonesian leader quick to act

INDONESIA: Sri Sukantun was too weak to reach out to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he walked past her flattened house in earthquake-hit Central Java province this week.

But the mother of two, who lost her parents in the May 27 quake on the island of Java, was still delighted to see the leader of the world's fourth most populous country.

"I felt very happy that the president could come here so fast and it showed he cares so much about the people," she said, while showing cuts and bruises on her head and arms.

In contrast to U.S. President George W. Bush, who came under heavy fire last year for taking days to appear in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, Yudhoyono rushed to Yogyakarta, the main city in the quake area, within hours, setting up an office there to oversee the response.

"Too bad I could not come near him when he passed by because I was still weak," Sukantun said in Gantiwarno district, one of the worst affected areas in Central Java's Klaten regency.

Whether Yudhoyono's high profile move ultimately helps his recently sagging political standing remains to be seen, but local officials said his presence was uplifting.

"He came with an intensity to supervise us from up close. We did not dare to play around. He would rap us and then give constructive criticism during meetings," said Yogyakarta provincial secretary Bambang Susanto Priyohadi.

Yudhoyono stayed in Yogyakarta for five days, visiting hospitals, aid depots and remote villages where survivors wept in front of him.

"The people became courageous in telling him directly about their plight," said Priyohadi.

Gantiwarno district head Sugeng Haryanto walked with Yudhoyono when he came there and said the ex-general's presence left some survivors speechless.

"When they came face to face with the president, they just whimpered. Their mouths could not utter words," he said.

"I had to put on a brave face in front of my residents but I was actually crying inside," said the overseer of Gantiwarno's 16 villages.

Gantiwarno, Friday, Reuters