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Joko Widodo Sworn In as Indonesia’s President and Faces These 5 Challenges

Hannah Beech
TIME
Oct. 19, 2014

The ‘Jokowi Effect’ Could Be the Most Important Thing in Indonesia’s Elections

On Oct. 20, Indonesia inaugurates its first President truly of the people. Joko Widodo, known commonly as Jokowi, is unique in Indonesian presidential history because he comes from neither a politically elite nor a military background. Raised in a riverside slum, Jokowi ran a furniture-exporting business in the heartland city of Solo before he successfully ran for his hometown’s mayor in 2005. Two years ago, he was elected governor of Indonesia’s chaotic capital, Jakarta. Although he prevailed in the July presidential election against old-guard candidate Prabowo Subianto — a former general once married to the daughter of Indonesian dictator Suharto — Jokowi, 53, faces numerous challenges as he helms the world’s third largest democracy: Continue reading “Joko Widodo Sworn In as Indonesia’s President and Faces These 5 Challenges”

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The thinking Malay is dangerous

Mariam Mokhtar| October 24, 2014
Free Malaysia Today

The ulamas, like the political leaders, are obsessed with power and want Muslims to be at their mercy.

The most dangerous threat to the Malaysian government is not an invading army, a contagious disease, or a nuclear threat. It is the thinking Malay.

When young pharmacist Syed Azmi Alhabshi decided to organise the “I Want to Touch a Dog” event at Bandar Utama on October 19, he didn’t expect such a huge response. More than 1,000 people –Muslims and non-Muslims – turned up.

Whilst man and beast were having lots of fun, in other parts of the country temperatures were raised. Syed Azmi was perceived as a threat.

Syed Azmi may have united Malaysians but he was alienating some conservative Muslims in Malaysia. His innocent “dog touching event” is a defining moment in 21st Century Malaysian history. Continue reading “The thinking Malay is dangerous”

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Will IGP Khalid now support IPCMC with police given right to appeal against conviction?

Eyebrows of all Malaysians would have been raised when they heard the Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar claiming yesterday that the police had never objected to the establishment of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), the key recommendation of the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry a decade ago.

Khalid should not think that Malaysians have short memories as to forget that it was the vehement and even ferocious opposition of the police leadership, even at one time threatening a police revolt, together with opportunistic UMNO leaders at the time, who was responsible for the killing of the IPCMC proposal, which speeded up the downfall of the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who could not walk his talk of police reforms.

Khalid now says that the IPCMC proposal treated the police like “second-class citizens” with no avenue for justice, as there was no right to appeal any conviction.
Is Khalid now saying that the police will support the IPCMC proposal if police is given the right to appeal against any conviction?

Malaysians fully agree that the police are entitled to fairness and justice and should have the right of appeal against any conviction under the IPCMC bill.

Is Khalid prepared to take the initiative to propose to the Home Minister, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet that the IPCMC Bill, giving the police the right to appeal against conviction, should be presented to Parliament for passage especially as this is the only way to restore public confidence in the integrity and professionalism of the police and to eradicate police abuses and corruption. Continue reading “Will IGP Khalid now support IPCMC with police given right to appeal against conviction?”