Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia featured prominently 75 years ago for Australia when our troops deployed and fought there in the Pacific War. We do well to commemorate their efforts and the losses suffered, notably with Indonesian President Joko Widodo visiting Australia last month.
The last time the people of Jakarta elected a governor, they upended national politics by giving Joko Widodo (Jokowi), then an obscure regional mayor, a launch pad for his successful tilt at the presidency.
Indonesian rock musician Ahmad Dhani told the crowd: "I am very sad and crying for having a president who does not respect the habibs (men who claim descent from the family of the Prophet Muhammad) and ulema (Islamic scholars). I want to say dog! I want to say pig!"
A poster has been circulating on Whatsapp messaging groups spruiking a so-called "defending Islam demonstration" on November 25, calling for President Jokowi to be brought down if Ahok remains a free man.
Michael McLaren speaks to Associate Professor Greg Fealy from the Department of Political and Social Change at ANU about the weekend protests in Indonesia and whether hardline Islamists are threatening democracy.
Jakarta, Indonesia — Tens of thousands of Indonesians marched in Jakarta on Friday, demanding that the city’s first Christian governor in decades be jailed for blasphemy. The rally was a show of strength by conservative Islamic groups, who were offended by his earlier remarks about the Quran and want to weaken him as he runs for re-election.
As Joko Widodo and Rodrigo Duterte strolled in white shirtsleeves through a sea of batik at Jakarta’s famous textile market some weeks ago, the temptation to draw comparisons between the two former provincial mayors, now leaders of Asia’s two largest democracies, was irresistible.
Both are political outsiders who rose to power on a wave of nationalism and populist discontent with the respective old-guard elites of Indonesia and The Philippines.
Indonesia's Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has urged Australia to rebuke Pacific states, in particular Solomon Islands, for raising Papua in global fora.
Indonesia has asked Australia to caution its Pacific Island neighbours against interfering in the West Papua issue and to urge them to withdraw support for West Papuan membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, warning that the issue could pose a “stumbling block” to closer bilateral ties.
Indonesia’s defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has raised the prospect of joint patrols during an annual meeting last week with Ms Bishop and Marise Payne, Australia’s defence minister. It comes as Mr Widodo prepares to address Australia’s parliament next week on his first state visit to the country.
This In Brief presents some preliminary findings from qualitative research in progress on Papuan women’s use of health services for antenatal care and delivery.
