Political acrobatics

Man: Political acrobatics!

Political observers say that part of the motivation behind the minor political parties continued support for former New Order general Prabowo Subianto's Red and White Coalition parliamentary majority, which is pushing through a packet of anti-democratic laws (UU) on legislative bodies and regional elections, is to pressure president elect Joko Widodo and vice-president elect Jusuf Kalla (centre) to protect them from future corruption proceedings and get cabinet posts in the next administration.

Kompas - September 13, 2014

Hijacked

Man: The people's rights are being hijacked Mr

Ignoring mounting public anger, former New Order general Prabowo Subianto and the six political parties that supported his failed presidential bid and hold a majority in the House are pushing through a draft law (RUU Pilkada) that will see an end to the direct election of regional heads and a return to the system applied under the Suharto dictatorship where governors and regents were 'elected' by regional parliaments.

Kompas - September 10, 2014

Fuel subsidies

Amid mounting calls by big business, the IMF and the World Bank to redirect costly fuel (BBM) subsidies to 'productive investment' (read tax breaks and businesses subsidies), President Yudhoyono (left) appears likely to leave such an unpopular decision to president elect Joko Widodo (right) rather than be remembered in his last month in office for hiking fuel prices, which inevitably results in price increases across the board and a massive decline in the poor's purchasing power.

Kompas - September 6, 2014

Business mafia

Man: Later this kind of thing won't happen anymore like now, right Mr?

President elect Joko Widodo (right), who says that his transition team is working on identifying and eliminating the dominance of 'business mafias' that collude with state officials and impede government policy, has remained silent about the huge number of businesspeople who have got themselves elected as lawmakers precisely so that they can secure lucrative business contracts and influence government policy.

Kompas - September 3, 2014

Political soap opera

Kid: The next episode in the presidential election dispute soap opera right Dad?

Following weeks of political drama after Prabowo Subianto refused to concede defeat in the July 9 presidential election and his failed attempt to contest the result in the Constitutional Court (culminating in his supporters trying to breach a police blockade with Unimog trucks), another squabble between the political elite has erupted over legal impunity for lawmakers and leadership of the parliament (the MD3 law) and the election of the next Jakarta deputy-governor.

Kompas - August 30, 2014