Latest news with #JokoWidodo
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia eyes high-speed rail to Surabaya, but China debt barriers loom
Indonesia is reviving plans to extend its Chinese-backed high-speed rail network, with ambitions to connect Jakarta with Surabaya, the nation's second-largest city. But analysts say familiar complications could stall the project, from regulatory hurdles to the mounting debt owed to China. The proposed extension would build on Whoosh – Southeast Asia's first high speed rail line – a US$7.3 billion project connecting capital Jakarta to Bandung in West Java province. The 142km (88-mile) railway, which was largely funded by China, was beset with delays and cost overruns before its inauguration by former president Joko Widodo in October 2023. Talk of extending the bullet train eastward to Surabaya has circulated since before Whoosh began operations, largely championed by Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Widodo's long-time fixer and the coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment during his administration. Now serving as chairman of the National Economic Council, a government advisory body, Luhut reaffirmed during a trip to Beijing on May 20-22 that the rail extension remained on the agenda – though he conceded that Indonesian bureaucracy had stalled progress. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan (right), chairman of Indonesia's National Economic Council, in Beijing on May 20. Photo: Xinhua 'The issue is actually on our side because we haven't finished drafting the regulation yet. It's that simple. But once it's done, we'll start talking about a joint study [with China],' Luhut told Indonesia's state-owned Antara news agency.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Indigenous West Papuans claim Indonesian government is 'land grabbing'
Indigenous Papuans in Merauke district protest to protect their customary lands. Crosses have been used as a protest symbol since 2010 when the Indonesian government launched the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate project. Photo: Wensi Fatubun West Papuans in Merauke claim the Indonesian government is stealing land to build its global "food barn" and feed its population of 280 million. Indonesia denies this and says all transactions are lawful. President Prabowo Subianto's administration wants Indonesia to be able to feed its population without imports as early as 2028, with the greater goal of exporting food. To get there, Indonesia plans to convert millions of hectares into farmland. Wensi Fatubun, from Merauke in Indonesian-occupied Papua close to Papua New Guinea's border, said forests where he grew up are being cleared. "[The] Indonesian government took the land for the [food] security project, it was not consulted or consented by Indigenous Papuan," Fatubun said. Prabowo's goal is a continuation of his predecessors. In 2020, President Joko Widodo announced the establishment of a national food estate project which aimed at opening up new areas of farmland outside Java Island. It is similar to the failed Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate, spearheaded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2010. About 1.3 million hectares were set aside in Merauke for it: half for food crops, 30 percent sugar cane, and 20 percent for palm. A report from the United States Department of Agriculture said it encountered resistance from locals and legal challenges. "Approximately 90 percent of the targeted areas were forest, which provided a source of livelihood for many locals. Accordingly, the development plans became a flashpoint for local activists concerned about environmental and biodiversity impacts," the report said. Probowo's government has the more ambitious goal of opening up three million hectares of agricultural land in Merauke - two million for rice and one million for sugarcane. Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said President Prabowo had elevated the "so-called food security issue". "[The President] wants Merauke in West Papua to be the so called national food barn. This deforestation land grabbing is much more deeper in Merauke than in the past." Harsono said conflict had escalated in West Papua and is now on par with some of the most violent periods in the past 60 years, but he was not sure if it is connected to the President's focus on food security. BenarNews reported that about 2000 troops were deployed late last year in Merauke to provide security at a two-million-hectare food plantation. A Papuan man (right) in traditional clothing and face painted with the banned Morning Star flag stands next to a policeman during a demonstration demanding a referendum on independence in Yogyakarta on 1 December 2023. Photo: AFP / Devi Rahman Rosa Moiwend, from Merauke, said the soldiers work alongside farmers. "They are expected to teach local farmers how to use mechanical agriculture equipment," Moiwend said. "But as West Papuan people, the presence of the military in the middle of the community, watching communities activities, people's movement when they travel from one place to another, actually creates fear among the people in Merauke." Like Harsono and Fatubun, Moiwend said "land grabs" are happening. However, she said it still involves a land broker, which creates a facade of a fair procedure. "Indigenous Merauke, indigenous Marind people like myself and my people, we do not sell land because land belongs to the community. It is communal land." However, a spokesperson for Indonesia's Embassy in Wellington said all processes and steps involving land sales had been lawful "always respecting the inclinations of local tribes". "Its development always involving local authorities, especially chief tribes for the consent of their ulayat (traditional land)," they said. "There is no land grab without consent, and the government also working on the biodiversity conservation and forestry production to create space harmonisation model with Conservation International, Medco Group, and couple of other independent organisations." Catherine Delahunty says New Zealand and Australia are failing the citizens of West Papua. Photo: Johnny Blades / VNP West Papua Action Aotearoa spokesperson Catherine Delahunty said the region is part of the lungs of the Pacific, which is now being destroyed. "The plan has been around for a long time but it seems to have escalated under Prabowo," Delahunty said. "They are stripping those lands and stripping those communities who live there from their traditional foods such as the sago palm to turn the whole of Merauke into sugar cane, rice and palm plantations. "The effects have been massive and they're just getting worse." She said New Zealand and Australia - the two most powerful governments in the South Pacific - are failing in its obligations to the citizens of West Papua. "You could almost justify, because it's a long way away from other parts of the world, that Europe and the northern hemisphere don't really understand West Papua but there's no excuse for us. "These people are in our region but they're not white people. I think there's a huge element of racism towards Papuans and towards Pacific nations who aren't perceived as important in the western worldview." She said there was willingness to trade and New Zealand did not want to rock the boat, with Indonesia as a regional powerhouse. That coupled with a media blackout makes it easy for Indonesia to act with impunity, Delahunty said.
Malaysiakini
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Family over justice: How far is PKR willing to fall?
LETTER | As Joko Widodo (Jokowi) concluded his presidency, many Indonesians were appalled to see the path being paved for his eldest son, Gibran, to be the vice-president. However, in his defence, at least Jokowi was on the way out of politics. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about what is happening in Malaysia. With the upcoming PKR election coming up, we are seeing something unprecedented unfold in Malaysian politics. A situation where the sitting president and deputy president of the ruling governing party are father and daughter. Of course, we would have to wait for the election results, but just the sheer audacity of this candidacy must be scrutinised. Even Dr Mahathir Mohamad had the decency to resign as Umno president, before pushing his son up from the sidelines. Even Umno, a party of patronage, has never seen such kinship in naked display. PKR, for all its advocacy of justice and reform, is descending to the very beast it swore to slay. There are many reasons to dislike nepotism on this scale. For one, it would delay Malaysia's economic development. As of June 2024, 11 of the world's democracies have heads of government whose fathers or husbands were heads of government before them: Canada, Estonia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Mauritius, Nauru, the Philippines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Uruguay. Aside from Canada (which has already elected a non-Justin Trudeau leader), most of these countries are not where Malaysia should or want to be. By limiting the highest land of political office to your children, you are increasing the likelihood of mediocre leaders rising. We don't even have to look at other countries to intuitively know this. Remember the son of our second prime minister? That's Najib Abdul Razak. He holds the unenviable position of being the son of Abdul Razak Hussein, our sixth prime minister, and also in jail for the biggest corruption case of this century. The staunchest of supporters (some of whom, like the Selangor menteri besar, were supporting Rafizi a few days back) will say Nurul Izzah Anwar is the exception. Alas, as history shows, the most dangerous words are 'this time it's different'. But, more simply, on what metric? Whilst she was a three-term MP, she lost her family's seat to a TikTok ustaz. Unlike other vice-presidents, such as Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Chang Lih Kang, she has zero governing experience, both in the state and federal levels. It is not enough, as the Keluar Sekejap folk would tell you, to just be passionate about public policy and a longtime party activist. Many can claim that. What they can't claim is that their father is the president. That, no matter how you slice and dice it, is ultimately why Nurul Izzah is where she is now. But, just like in the battle against Azmin Ali in 2018, the one fighting for the soul of the party is Rafizi Ramli. Someone who brought the party back from its lowest in early 2022 to electoral success by GE15. Someone who can point to a successful stint in the private sector. Someone with tangible ministerial experience. A vote for Nurul Izzah wouldn't just be a betrayal of the party's founding principles. It would be a betrayal of this country. And would usher in something far more sinister: that if the de facto reformist party is willing to go this far for dynastic power, then all rules are off the table. Every means would justify this end. This is a far cry from the Keadilan we filled the streets for. If we aren't careful, this could mark the beginning of the darkest chapter in PKR's history, where leaders sided with nepotism over justice. The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
Malaysiakini
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Individuals have unique form of religious expressions
LETTER | Lately, there has been a debate in regards to former Indonesian president Joko Widodo's recent gesture in raising his hands during the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, which has inadvertently ignited a debate in the Muslim world. While many agree he was being respectful of a world leader, just as many - including in Malaysia - wondered if he had done the right thing from a religious point of view. Religious prayers or expressions of any faith from the perspective of the diversity of humanity should focus on intentions and not merely on mechanical gestures. This in no way denies the fact that if one is involved in liturgical celebrations involving communities of the same religious beliefs, there is a unified form of expression. Words and gestures of prayer are ingrained in what goes on in the heart of a person, and the gesture related to one's intention would certainly not erase one's identity or religious beliefs. Respect diversity Respecting a person's intentions in expressing a gesture that is unique to the individual means one is freely expressing one's faith, and this should be respected. Freedom of religion today is not merely about the right of a person to choose their own religion. It is also about respecting a diversified way of expressing one's faith as long as one does not contradict the essence of faith. Religion today, in certain aspects, has been turned into an ideology and rigidity. This prevents religious people from looking at good intentions, and certainly, this contributes to and reinforces divisions in society. Let's respect religious expressions of good intentions that are unique to individuals and not limit them to rigidity. RONALD BENJAMIN is the secretary for Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue. The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Amnesty says Indonesia suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Amnesty International criticized Indonesia's government Tuesday, saying it suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests, targets journalists and rights activists and uses spyware against dissidents. The rights group said in its annual report on Indonesia that public protests 'were met with excessive and unnecessary force and arbitrary arrests,' including in August when thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest attempts by the House of Representatives to change the country's election law. The amendment would have permitted Kaesang Pangarep, the son of former president Joko Widodo, to run for regional office despite not meeting the age requirement for candidacy. The parliament eventually withdrew the bill after widespread criticism. The report said at least 344 people were arrested while taking part in public protests across the country in 2024, 152 of them were physically harmed and 17 suffered from the effects of tear gas, while 65 suffered multiple abuses, including 15 university students who were hospitalized. Most of those arrested were later released. It also recorded 123 cases of physical assaults and 288 digital attacks and threats against media workers and human rights activists, including 11 journalists in the capital, Jakarta, who were reportedly targeted by law enforcement. Incidents involved acts of intimidation, death threats and physical violence. The group also said unlawful killings of civilians 'continued with impunity' as the conflict between the Indonesian military and armed separatist groups in the restive region of Papua continued. Amnesty said the government continued to use spyware against dissidents despite a new law that came into effect last October that was supposed to protect people from digital snooping. The group said that the Personal Data Protection Law had not yet been implemented, including what was supposed to be the establishment of a dedicated data protection agency. Amnesty previously has reported that, based on its own research, the government from 2017 to 2023 imported spyware from Greece, Israel, Malaysia and Singapore that was used by police and government agencies. 'If the use of authoritarian practices is not stopped immediately, then we could be heading towards an epidemic of human rights violations, something we do not want,' said Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, while launching the report in Jakarta. Hamid said that although Indonesia has failed to uphold human rights in 2024, the group will continue to voice their support for President Prabowo Subianto 's administration "to make human rights the key to every policy the country takes, both domestically and internationally.' The Ministry for Law and Human Rights did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Jakarta-based Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, or ICJR, said arbitrary arrests and torture will continue in the country until its criminal code is reformed to curb the powers granted to law enforcement. 'Such reforms are essential to address the root cause of poor law enforcement, which arises from the broad powers granted to investigators to make arrests without proper oversight or legal review,' ICJR said in a statement. ___ This story has been corrected to add the title of Amnesty International Indonesia official.
