INDONESIA'S INCOMING LEADER

Put some glasses on him, and I think he looks like Raul S. Roco, the Philippines' former Senator who ran for presidency last May 10 but because of prostate problems had lost his steam to fight the good fight.

Retired army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono seems to be on the road to assume the Indonesian leadership after exit polls showed him to be ahead of incumbent
president, Megawati Sukarnoputri.

"With nearly 16 million of the more than 150 million eligible votes counted, Mr. Yudhoyono had 59 percent compared to Mrs. Megawati's 41 percent. Results are set to trickle in over the coming days, although the winner will not officially be known until October.

But a projection poll conducted by the Washington-based National Democratic Institute suggested Mr. Yudhoyono would end up even further ahead, winning 62 percent compared to Mrs. Megawati's 38 percent." [BBC News, Asia-Pacific]

Unlike our setting here in the Philippines, I feel relieved that most Indonesians preferred change over the usual especially since President Megawati has increasingly been seen as distant, aloof, and ineffective.

Indonesia, which is comprised of 150 million registered voters on 14,000 islands, also has better and peaceful election proceedings because had it happened here in my Philippines of more than 7,000 islands, official results would probably take more than a year to know.