WORLD OPINION POLL SHOWS PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN YUDHOYONO STILL HIGH

Jakarta, Jun 18 (ANTARA) - Indonesians' confidence in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's leadership proves to be still high as shown by the results of a World Public Opinion poll held in 20 countries, presidential spokesman Andi Malarangeng said.

"The poll showed that public confidence in Yudhoyono's leadership and his popularity are still very high compared with the public confidence and popularity enjoyed by the leaders of other Asia Pacific countries," Malarangeng said here Wednesday.

However, the poll results apart, the Indonesian president would continue to do his utmost in carrying out his mandate, especially during the remainder of his term in office, he said.

"The President appreciates the poll results. It is an interesting poll as it compares the public trusts in the leaders of a number of Asia Pacific countries. But even without the poll, President Yudhoyono will continue to carry out his tasks in overcoming the nation's problems, even if thereby he will become less popular," Malarangeng said.

The World Public Opinion poll results had added to the many public opinion surveys done by domestic institutons before which also rated Yudhoyono as the most appropriate figure to serve as president in the 2009-2014 period, he said.

"The World Public Opinion poll results are not too surprising because in some polls held in the country President Yudhoyono always proved to gain the highest scores," the presidential spokesman added.

World Public Opinion in its WorldPublicOpinion.org site reported that Indonesian respondents had shown a positive view toward President Yudhoyono's leadership.

Indonesians saw President Yuhoyono as a leader in Asia Pacific who was more able to do the right thing regarding world affairs compared to other leaders in the region such as Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, South Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Some 51 percent of Indonesian respondents believed Yudhoyono was able to do the right things on world affairs, whereas the other Asia Pacific leaders' scores in similar polls conducted in their respective countries were much lower. Fukuda's score was 32 percent, Rudd's 31 percent, Kim's 28 percent, Singh's 21 percent and Arroyo's 19 percent.