With Indonesia's changing of the guard the Jakarta Post looks at Why Megawati lost despite having the (large) benefits of incumbency. They argue it came down to a rejection of the permissiveness under Megawati i.e. she turned a blind eye to corruption; her limited intellectual weight, especially when she embarassed herself in debates against SBY. In the editorial's words, reflect[s] the strong yearning for change that exists among Indonesians, as well as the prevailing opinion that this nation deserves leadership, which adheres to moral principles, imbued with a more respectable intellectual quality.

SBY has a lot to deal with. First on his plate is the mess of fuel subsidies that the current high oil price are costing the Government a fortune. Next he has a long list of promises to make good, especially in tackling corruption and reforming the Government. This includes a reform of the judiciary and the legal system. His biggest problem will be he was sponsored by a smaller political party with less than 20% of the seats in the Parliament. He will need to come to some kind of accomodation with his Golkar opponents if he is to deliver on his agenda. Otherwise he will become yet another politician elected in hope but unable to deliver.