RE: In Indonesia, a new breed of politician is on the rise

JAKARTA — Fifteen years after the overthrow of strongman Suharto, and less than a year before Indonesia’s first transition between two directly-elected presidents, leaders that bear little resemblance to their predecessors are emerging in this young democracy of more than 240 million people.

They are mayors, governors and technocrats with a reputation for clean hands in a country dogged by corruption. Many have risen with little money and few connections in a political system where leaders traditionally hail from the military or dynastic families.

On the main island of Java, the political and financial heart of a near trillion-dollar economy, a dozen new faces are redefining expectations of public service.

The most prominent of them is Mr Joko Widodo, former Mayor of Solo, a small city in Central Java where he earned a following by cutting through red tape and boosting transparency.

His inexpensive campaign in the capital of Jakarta a year ago secured him the country’s most important gubernatorial seat.

For the plain-talking Mr Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, who now tops polls of potential presidential candidates for next year’s elections, though he has not said if he would run, the difference is simple.

Voters have moved on from the euphoric days following Suharto’s downfall in 1998 when election turnouts were near 90 per cent, and have become more demanding about good governance.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the first direct elections in 2004 on an anti-corruption campaign. Five years later, he won a landslide re-election largely for delivering on services like cash handouts to the poor.

His popularity, however, has plunged as his party has been hit by corruption scandals, and his leadership has weakened as the end of his term draws near.

At the regional level, there are some Jokowis in the making. In Indonesia’s second city, Surabaya, the country’s first directly-elected female Mayor, Ms Tri Rismaharini, has earned a following — and political enemies — for decisions such as rejecting a downtown toll-road project and rerouting it to the city’s outskirts.

When the Governor of East Java province told the city to shut down its red-light district almost overnight, Ms Rismaharini also reasoned that it could only be done gradually, by teaching sex workers new skills.

Other young politicians are getting a chance too.

In Bandung, a city south-east of Jakarta that has long been considered one of the worst-governed municipalities, Mr Ridwan Kamil, a former architect, entered office last month pledging to tackle floods and improve public transport.

Indonesia has enjoyed a decade of stability even as it has been plagued by endemic corruption, wide inequality and infrastructure woes. Labour unions are growing. The press is free. Elections are largely fair.

For all those gains, the country is at a critical juncture.

Democracy is messy in a country that encompasses three time zones and dozens of ethnic groups and main languages.

The economy has been one of the world’s fastest-growing in recent years, but has begun to sputter because of lacklustre global demand.

Religious intolerance is also rising in the world’s most populous Muslim country, long celebrated for its moderate brand of Islam. Transparency remains poor.

Other young leaders point to problems with education, especially important as the country integrates with the global economy.

Another challenge is Indonesia’s old guard. The largest political parties are still controlled by leaders dating back to the Suharto era, and they have raised barriers to new entrants to the national political stage.

Still, the world’s largest archipelago nation has not broken apart. The military did not take control. Elections have not been bought and sold wholesale.

From the above point of view from i see. I guess each every year there’s always some new changes, or some new upcoming upgrade happening whether in Indonesia or around the world status. I guess the all talk about the politic issue its been a common thing around the world. Whether business down or success. People,Company and so on..well that’s my data for today. Thanks for reading!

RE: Indonesia Worst Case Related To Places Been Destroyed

The mass killings were sparked by a failed coup on September 30, 1965 and the murder of a number of generals in the military. A major general in the army at the time, Suharto blamed the coup on communists, ousted President Sukarno — the country’s first post-independence leader — and sanctioned the hunt for those responsible. After assuming the presidency in 1967, Suharto ruled Indonesia for 31 years until 1998.

For thousands like Edo in Bali and across the rest of Indonesia, confronting that fear and addressing this brutal period in the country’s history is something most have been unwilling or unable to do openly.

Many worry that publicly dissenting from official versions of the events and coup — ingrained through Suharto-era propaganda, like the 1984 film “Treachery of G30S/PKI” — could lead to retribution from those connected to the killings. More often than not, killers and victims’ families still live in the same communities.

So far, official attempts to revisit the events of 1965 and 1966 have failed. While Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights published a report last year stating the anti-communist purge was a gross violation of human rights, it was not taken any further by the country’s Attorney General. A draft bill for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission also failed in 2006.

From my point of view in this news, the past has been reveal again just like any history repeat itself again. And the village seems very upset for what had happen in the past that very sad tragedy..where their people had to die in a war that happens years ago before any of us were born into this world. If i were in their shoes i would feel the same. Well that’s about it for today! Thanks for reading!