insert_link World He won Indonesia’s election in a landslide. Now, backroom meetings and horse-trading will determine whether Prabowo can govern By Stephen Sherlock, Australian National University Indonesia’s president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, won February’s presidential election in a landslide victory of nearly 59% of the nationwide vote, more than double his nearest challenger. But his party, Gerindra, fell far short of a majority in the parliamentary elections that took place at the same time. Gerindra was founded by Prabowo and its political fortunes are inseparable from […] todayMay 23, 2024 5
insert_link World Cute grandpa or authoritarian in waiting: who is Prabowo Subianto, the favourite to win Indonesia’s presidential election? By Tim Lindsey, The University of Melbourne Ambitious and mercurial, with a dark past, former army general Prabowo Subianto has spent a lifetime vying for the ultimate prize in Indonesian politics. Now, with a large lead in the latest polls ahead of this week’s election, it looks as though the presidency is finally within his grasp. So, who is Prabowo and how will he change Indonesia if […] todayFebruary 15, 2024 9
insert_link World Indonesia’s Defense Minister seeks presidency There was a time when Prabowo Subianto's name would have spooked most Indonesians. But now young voters appear to be charmed by the defence minister's slick makeover. The BBC reports that the ex-special forces commander dogged by allegations of human rights abuses and disappearances has become a cute grandfather made for memes. Now 72, Prabowo is running to succeed the popular Joko Widodo when the world's third-largest democracy votes on […] todayFebruary 7, 2024 14
insert_link Opinion Pieces Indonesia is one of the world’s largest democracies, but it’s weaponising defamation laws to smother dissent Tim Mann, The University of Melbourne Two former coordinators of one of Indonesia’s most prominent human rights organisations have escaped conviction in a defamation case brought by a powerful government minister. While their astonishing acquittal is welcome, the case marked a bleak new low for freedom of expression in one of the world’s largest democracies. Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti, who had coordinated the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims […] todayJanuary 9, 2024 18
