The Guardian view on Indonesia’s president: after the hope

The Guardian view on Indonesia’s president: after the hope | Editorial

Joko Widodo rode to power on a wave of optimism. Supporters gave him a second term – but there are already concerns about how he is using it

A second and final term can free a leader, as Joko Widodo has acknowledged. The question is how he will use his new liberty. Five years ago, he was widely hailed as “Indonesia’s Obama”. His rise was seen as another step forward for the world’s fourth most populous country and biggest Muslim-majority nation. Its transition from dictatorship two decades ago had already made it an important and much-needed model of democracy in the region and to the Muslim world. But Jokowi, as he is popularly known, was also an outsider, the first president from a humble background. Unconnected to the authoritarian era, he had earned a reputation as a clean politician as governor of Jakarta. Like Mr Obama he stood for hope in a sullied political world.

Now he has begun his second term. His campaign slogan was “Indonesia advancing”. But many of those who once cheered him now see a country backsliding on critical issues including human rights, religious tolerance and the general quality of its democracy.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/36vbWkQ

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