DESPITE his declining popularity, the public still feels that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is the best choice to lead the country. The harsh criticisms directed at him and Jusuf Kalla went unheeded by respondents of surveys by the Indonesian Survey Institute and Tempo. This is a dismal portrait of Indonesian politics, where image is considered more important than performance, and the political stage still belongs to the same old leaders.

Keywords :
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ,