Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

Jakarta, Oct. 4: Superstitious Indonesians are blaming their supposedly “unlucky” President for the latest earthquake.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, popularly known by his initials SBY, has long been burdened by suggestions his birth date carries the shadow of “cosmic misfortune”.

A string of disasters both natural and man-made since his election in 2004, including the Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 220,000 across Asia, has seen quips that SBY stands for “Selalu Bencana Ya”, meaning “Always A Disaster”.

The number nine is considered unlucky by many and the latest catastrophe is viewed by many as proof that his birthday — September 9, 1949 — means his stars are crossed.

Permadi, a veteran politician from the Opposition Gerindra party and practising shaman, said: “SBY, because of his birth date, will always attract disasters to this country, according to the Primbon (a Javanese almanac of mysticism)”.

“Just look at the numbers of his birth date — the ninth of the ninth, ‘49 — that’s unlucky. The more he holds on to power, the more great disasters will happen,” he said.

If Yudhoyono stays President, “a much bigger disaster will strike Jakarta for sure”, Permadi said, referring to the Indonesian capital. “If SBY had a big heart, he would step down.”

Not everyone believes this theory — and many see SBY’s birthday as enviably lucky — but such talk of supernatural misfortune has deep resonance in Indonesia, where Islam and Christianity are often merged with older traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism.

The criticism has been long-standing enough that Yudhoyono lectured local government heads in the quake-hit region of west Sumatra two years ago that they should blame the region’s volatile geology, and not him.

Even the Jakarta Post, one of the top-selling English dailies, suggested a link between the disaster and the extravagance of politicians in a Sunday editorial entitled “The Gods Must Be Angry”.

It read: “Whether you subscribe to the theological or secular explanation, the 7.6-magnitude quake that killed more than 1,100 people came on the eve of the multi-billion-rupiah inauguration ball for newly elected members of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representative Council in Jakarta.”