(INDONESIA, OTHER, LEADERS, THEIR, WIDODO, ELECTION)
SOLO, Indonesia (Reuters) - A quiet revolution is under way in Solo, Central Java, and in other parts of Indonesia where local leaders are learning that one way to get re-elected is to take voters and their needs seriously.
Joko Widodo, a former furniture salesman, was elected mayor of this royal city four years ago. Like a handful of other local leaders, he has made a name for himself by taking on bureaucracy, graft and infrastructure in Solo, a microcosm of the problems that afflict Southeast Asia`s biggest economy.
He and some of his peers, typically men in their forties or fifties with a background in business, are already regarded as potential candidates for much bigger jobs on the national stage, the governors and ministers of the future, because their "can-do" approach helps to attract investment.
"I am not a genius. I just ask the people what they want. You want, I give," said Widodo, 48, in an interview with Reuters.
"In other cities, they have the top-down approach. I don`t want this. I want bottom up. It`s better for me if there is participatory planning."
Across Indonesia, which embraced democracy after autocratic president Suharto was forced to quit in 1998 and holds its second direct election for president next week, voters are punishing leaders who don`t listen, regardless of party affiliation or campaign budgets, says election observer Kevin Evans.
"This is definitely a pattern," Evans said.
"In the legislative elections (in April), we saw incumbent candidates with lots of money being chucked out and some minor parties get a massive burst of votes in areas where they have a good candidate."
INVESTOR-FRIENDLY
Following decentralization, provinces and districts are now being ranked on the basis of their investor-friendliness. Widodo, who sold locally-produced furniture overseas before he became mayor, has already attracted "rave reviews" said Kevin O`Rourke, Jakarta-based political risk analyst.
"He`s up and coming and could be governor of Central Java one day," said O`Rourke. In Solo, he has been tipped as a future tourism minister after establishing cultural fairs, building a new airport and launching plans for an inter-city highway.
Indonesia`s Tempo Magazine late last year named him one of 10 leaders to watch.
"They created innovations and breakthroughs," said Tempo, adding that among these "few good men" were "a number of promising future leaders."
Some built parks and clean open spaces to improve the quality of life, or encouraged breakthrough agricultural practices. Others cut the stifling bureaucracy and corruption that accompanies some of the most basic public services in Indonesia.
Untung Wiyono, regent of Sragen near Solo, connected all his villages to the internet, while Andi Hatta Marakarma, regent of Luwu Timur, South Sulawesi, built new villages and roads, helping to cut the cost of transporting rice by over two-thirds. Continued...
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