SBY to Release ‘Personal’ Book on Presidential Experiences

Jakarta Globe, November 11, 2013

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to launch a new book on his
personal experiences as president. (EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced on Twitter that he plans in December to release a book recounting his experiences as Indonesia’s leader over the past nine years as a personal “answer” to his critics and detractors.

“In early December, I will compile a story full of surprises into a book. I wrote it myself, including the title ‘Selalu Ada Pilihan [‘There Will Always be Choices’],” he tweeted on Sunday night.

Reportedly fond of sharing stories, Yudhoyono said the book will include personal anecdotes, tales of surprise, as well as personal lessons

He also said that his book was “like batik,” because it connects many ideas into one cohesive whole.

“Like batik, the book contains many dots that were gathered [at different times]: in my free time, at dawn, when I was going to sleep and in the middle of my air travels,” he said on Twitter.

Yudhoyono dedicated his book to Indonesia’s future presidents and hoped that it would help them face the challenges and tests of leadership.

“My book is my answer to issues, critics, insults and even libel that I experienced during my more-than-nine years in office,” he said.

“He wrote it by himself,” the president’s spokesman told the Jakarta Globe on Monday. “It’s about his own experience as president, and it also contains personal views.”

He said that he expected the book will provide a detailed glimpse into the president’s daily activities and thoughts.

“With this book, the public can feel directly what the president experienced during his terms,” he said.

Julian added that this will be Yudhoyono’s first book about his personal experiences, but not his first published endeavor. The president has written works including “Transforming Indonesia: Selected International Speeches,” “Indonesia on the Move,” “Indonesia Unggul” (“Indonesia Excels”), and a poem anthology entitled “Taman Kehidupan” (“The Garden of Life”).