It may seem premature to examine the nature of the relationship between President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's next administration and political Islam in Indonesia. However, since the bombings of the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels violently distorted the political climate, there are signs that his prospective dealings with political Islam, and vice versa, will not be easy.
President SBY's immediate reaction to the terrorist blasts was to warn against the perpetrators and the "Draculas", who were involved in past acts of evil like "making people disappear". To everybody's surprise, he linked the blasts to the presidential elections. A fortnight later, on July 30, the President instructed local state apparatuses to be extra vigilant and crush terrorism.
SBY's immediate response was both personal and political. The July 17 blasts occurred just a week after he won the presidential elections and proudly received warm congratulations from all over the world, including from the man he wishes to be his close friend and ally: US President Barrack Obama. He celebrated his wife's birthday in the same week. The terrorist blasts thus destroyed the country's post-elections euphoria and SBY's happiest week ever.
In contrast, his latest statement reminded the nation to be united against terrorism and remain vigilant. By then he must have been aware of the general predicament posed by political Islam. A number of prominent leaders of the Nadhatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the two largest Muslim mass-based bodies, have issued strong statements condemning the terrorists; the PKS (Prosperous Justice Party) also strongly condemned the terror.
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