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JAKARTA : Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been flooded with so many calls and SMS text messages that his mobile phone number, which he revealed to the public, has crashed.
But he is not giving up on this experiment at getting feedback directly from the people. He has just set up a new hotline.
Last week, President Yudhoyono revealed his mobile phone number and urged ordinary Indonesians to contact him directly with any complaints they had about his government's administration.
So the Indonesian people did just that.
In four days, they sent some 15,000 text messages and placed thousands of calls - soon the phone line crashed.
So the President has set up a new hotline.
The new number is easy to remember - it's 9949 - and it corresponds to President Yudhoyono's birthday.
Wempi, an Indonesian, said: "We know that the President is busy with state matters but we, the small people, also deserve his attention."
Udin, another Indonesian, added: "It's clear there will be disappointment. There will be those who send 10 or 20 test messages, but still get no response."
It is no secret that Indonesian government officials usually hide negative feedback from the President to save their own skin.
But some observers say the hotline will not change very much.
Dr Effendy Ghazali of the University of Indonesia said: "I think we should first realise that this is Indonesia and every President of Indonesia will for sure inherit what Megawati once called "birokrasi keranjang sampah" or garbage basket bureaucracy. I think President Susilo is now facing the same problem."
So is this all just a ploy to gauge public support for the President?
Andi Malarangeng, Presidential Aide, said: "No, this is not about popularity check. This is about public interest. This is about how to make sure that public service is being done."
Whether this results in any concrete change is yet to be seen, but already provincial leaders are following the president's lead. - CNA/de
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