WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 INTERNATIONAL

Indonesia’s Widodo marks disappointing first year in power

JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo cised for backsliding in the fight against cor- projects, and Widodo’s attempts to attract new national police chief-a move observers said was based on flawed evidence. took office last year on hopes that an outsider ruption in one of the world’s most graft-rid- investors were undercut by protectionist poli- believe was aimed at keeping the powerful The execution by firing squad in April of and “man of the people” would swiftly usher in den nations, and his image abroad has been cies unilaterally announced by ministers, such head of his party and political patron, two Australians, a Brazilian and four Nigerians a new era of cleaner, more effective gover- tarnished by the execution of foreign drug as the abrupt cancellation of thousands of Megawati Sukarnoputri, on side. for drugs offences sparked international out- nance. Twelve months on, critics say those convicts. import licences. A year on, economic growth rage, and ally Australia took the unprecedent- hopes have come to nought. Widodo, known “It has been a rocky first year for Joko is languishing at a six-year low and the rupiah ‘Determined dolphin’ ed step of withdrawing its ambassador from by his nickname “Jokowi”, swept to power on a Widodo,” said Professor Jeffrey Winters, an has fallen heavily. The nomination triggered a row between Jakarta in protest. wave of popular support for his hands-on Indonesia expert from Northwestern While global market turmoil has played a the notoriously corrupt police and the popular Despite all his problems, some analysts approach and his image as a corruption-free, University in the United States. “The major role, Widodo has also faced criticism for anti-graft agency, which accused the nominee nevertheless see signs he is finding his feet-he fresh face in a country long dominated by oli- Indonesian people are tired of business as not doing enough to fix the economy-his of bribery. Widodo withdrew the candidate, was praised for an August cabinet reshuffle garchs from the era of dictator Suharto. The usual and they voted for Jokowi to bring main focus. In a recent BBC interview, he but only after dithering, by which point the that replaced key economic ministers, and a former Jakarta governor, who would cam- change-but there hasn’t been much change.” defended his record, saying that reforming anti-corruption body had been severely weak- recent series of stimulus measures. “He’s still paign in the slums wearing casual clothes, was the economy was a “long process”, adding: “It ened by attacks from the police. His popularity very weak, but he is progressing,” said Achmad elected after a bruising battle against a con- Languishing economy takes time to manage a country as big as has been sliding ever since. A survey by poll- Sukarsono, an Indonesia analyst from risk con- troversial ex-general with a chequered human The president took office on October 20, Indonesia.” ster Indo Barometer this month showed public sultancy Eurasia Group. Northwestern rights record, becoming the country’s first 2014 and got off to a good start by cutting For many Indonesians, an even bigger dis- satisfaction with Widodo at 46 percent in University’s Winters said the president can still leader from outside the political and military fuel price subsidies that ate up a huge chunk appointment has been what they see as September, down from 57 percent in March. keep support by playing to his down-to-earth elite. of the government’s budget, freeing up bil- Widodo’s failure to step up the fight against For allies overseas who had welcomed a image. But running the world’s fourth most-popu- lions of dollars to invest in boosting the slow- graft, in a country where facing demands for fresh face in the presidency, there was disbe- “The Indonesian people will cut him slack lous country has proved even more difficult. ing economy. kickbacks is just part of everyday life for many. lief at Widodo’s drive to put foreign drug con- if he can maintain the image that he is a deter- Widodo’s plans to kick-start the economy But red tape and a lack of organisation In particular, the president faced criticism over victs to death in the name of fighting a mined dolphin swimming in a pool of menac- have made little progress, he has been criti- hampered efforts to launch vital infrastructure his nomination of a controversial figure as the national narcotics “emergency” that experts ing sharks,” he said. — AFP

Ouattara seeks re-election in test of country’s stability

ABIDJAN: Five years after winning office in a Party of Ivory Coast (PDCI) set up by the coun- vote marred by violence, Ivory Coast President try’s founding father Felix Houphouet-Boigny. Alassane Ouattara looks set to win a new man- Ouattara needs “a strong vote”, said his biog- date Sunday in an election seen as critical to rapher Cisse Ibrahim Bacongo. “That is how he sealing the peace. will win unquestionable legitimacy.” But his Ouattara’s election campaign has focused on camp is worried. “Our enemy is abstention,” said his efforts to revive the economy of the world’s Alphonse Soro, a parliamentarian who heads top cocoa producer, ravaged by months of post- the RDR youth movement. “The problem is how election violence in 2010-2011 in which some to convince people to come out and vote.” 3,000 people died. But voter apathy and opposi- tion criticism of the country’s electoral commis- Gbagbo’s ghost sion threaten to undermine the credibility of the As criticism of the election commission October 25 vote. mounts, former foreign affairs minister Amara Photos circulating on social media this week Essy suspended his candidacy “to avoid becom- show staff soundly sleeping in offices where ing an accomplice in an electoral masquerade”. Ivory Coast’s 6.3 million voters can pick up their “If we don’t take care we’ll head into a post- election ID cards, highlighting a lack of public election crisis that will be one post-election crisis interest in the ballot. too many,” he warned. Just days before the vote, the national elec- Three days later he was followed by another toral commission (CEI) decided to extend distri- eminent contender for the top job, ex-parlia- bution of the cards until Wednesday, October ment speaker Mamadou Koulibaly. Other Ivorian 21. The move came after two presidential candi- political VIPs, former premier Charles Konan dates pulled out of the race, denouncing it as “a Banny, MPs Konan Kouadio and Kacou masquerade”. Gnangbo, as well as businessman Simeon Ouattara’s 2010 election was the last but Konan Kouadio, have suggested they too could deadliest chapter in a conflict that had divided boycott the vote. the country into a rebel-held north and a loyalist Only four of the eight contenders still in the GEVGELIJA: People sit on the ground as they wait with other migrants and refugees to enter a registration camp after crossing south for almost a decade. race have so far signed “a code of good conduct the Greece-Macedonia border near Gevgelija yesterday. A surge of 10,000 migrants crossed from Macedonia into Serbia Then president Laurent Gbagbo refused to for a peaceful election” drafted by the electoral overnight on October 18 to 19 and headed for the Croatian border, where 3,000 had gathered by October 19 morning, said concede defeat to the former deputy head of commission, Some in the opposition want the Mirjana Ivanovic Milenkovski with the UN refugee agency in Serbia. — AFP the IMF, triggering the bloodshed. He is now in a commission dissolved on the grounds it favours Dutch jail, awaiting his November war crimes tri- Ouattara. al by the International Criminal Court in The Ouattara’s main challenger is seen as being EU, Turkey remain divided, Hague. Pascal Affi N’Guessan, a former prime minister under Gbagbo and leader of the Ivorian Popular Ouattara needs ‘strong vote’ Front. It was hoped this week’s vote would turn the Founded by the ex-president the party is despite migrant challenge page on the past and help Ivory Coast become now split between those backing N’Guessan’s the stable West African powerhouse it once was. run for president and die-hard Gbagbo loyalists, Ouattara, a tall 73-year-old economist mar- who are boycotting the vote. Some 34,000 Erdogan accuses EU of being ‘not sincere’ ried to a Frenchwoman, is hoping for a clear first- troops, including 6,000 UN peacekeepers, will be round victory. “In the next five years we will deployed during the election. To ward off fears strengthen our institutions to consolidate peace of electoral fraud, polling stations will send vote BRUSSELS: Never waste a crisis, the political adage eralized visa requirements. All of that would give seem to find a way to make the relationship work, and harmony,” he pledged on the campaign tail. counts electronically to the electoral commis- goes. The European Union and Turkey may be doing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a boost ahead of the especially with an increasingly assertive Erdogan. He heads a coalition including his own Rally sion in Abidjan and voters will be identified bio- so right now, failing to build a closer partnership while Nov. 1 elections. of Republicans (RDR) party and the Democratic metrically. — AFP facing a common challenge in the Syrian refugee cri- Key diplomatic broker sis. Harsh words Three decades ago, when Turkey first made its EU Instead of bringing the two sides together, the The outcome so far: angry words, hurt feelings and membership request, the situation was starkly differ- past few weeks have mainly highlighted why the rela- accusations of political extortion. On Monday, on the ent. Turkey was economically weak, and the main tionship has been troubled for decades. Even if the EU heels of a visit from Chancellor Angela Merkel of thing it was known for bringing to the EU was “gastar- persuades Turkey to keep refugees from spilling into - where World War II references still touch a beiter” - guest workers doing the menial jobs that Europe - in exchange for money and political sweet- nerve - Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said fueled industry in Germany and other western eners - the deep-seated causes of the antagonism will “no one should expect Turkey to turn into a concentra- European nations. remain. tion camp where all of the refugees are kept.” The membership request was mostly met with In recent days, Cyprus has thrown water on rekin- The harsh words are an indication the size of the derision then. Things started to change as Turkey, dled hopes for speeding up Turkey’s EU membership challenges ahead. “This is going to be very, very diffi- under Erdogan, became one of the world’s hottest bid, and France and Holland stressed the need for cult to bridge in practice,” said Ian Lesser of the emerging economies and a key diplomatic broker stringent conditions before visa-free travel for Turks German Marshall Fund think tank. “Yes, there is a lack with the Middle East. But even today, the thought of a becomes a reality. An angered Turkish President Recep of trust. But there is also a gap on policies.” mainly-Muslim nation of 78 million joining a mostly Tayyip Erdogan responded by accusing the EU of And tensions had already been driving both sides Christian club of over 500 million is met with great being “not sincere” about bringing Turkey into the asunder over the past months and even years, with resistance in Europe - especially due to the hostility European fold. Meanwhile, the two sides are bickering the EU ever more critical of Erdogan, increasingly spawned by Islamic extremism. over how much money Turkey should get for helping viewed as a repressive autocrat. Even as relations “Unfortunately,” said Lesser, “for political reasons to keep migrants out of Europe. soured, Erdogan has been able to bolster Turkey’s we can understand, (Islam) has become part of the The EU sees Turkey as a sieve letting through too national pride, economic clout and strategic impor- debate.” Since Turkey was accepted as a candidate for many Syrian refugees, while Ankara says Europe is not tance. The country no longer has much reason to be membership a decade ago, accession talks have doing its part in helping Turkey deal with the crisis - subservient to a troubled economic power like the EU. moved at snail’s pace, overshadowed by the 1974 and has always shown disdain for Turkey’s attempts to A glance at a map of the region drives home Turkish invasion of Cyprus after a Greek junta-backed get closer to wealthy bloc. Turkey’s vital strategic importance as a bridge to Asia, coup aiming to unite the island with Greece. The ABIDJAN: A supporter of the Democracy and Peace party (RHDP) headed by The solution under review: more financial aid for and the volatile Middle East - making it a key EU part- Greek part of Cyprus is an EU member now. As recent- the incumbent Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, wearing the Ivory Coast Turkey to keep migrants within its borders; accelera- ner by force of geography alone. The conundrum is ly as Monday, Cyprus insisted that Turkey should not colours, passes by the popular Koumassi district in Abidjan on October 17, tion of EU membership talks; and concessions on lib- that Europe knows that it needs Turkey, but can’t harbor too many hopes for membership. — AP to rally supporters for the upcoming 2015 presidential elections. — AFP US student arrested in 3 journalists attacked at attack on Muslim woman

BLOOMINGTON: A 19-year-old Indiana German anti-Islam rally University student accused in a racially motivat- ed attack on a Muslim woman says he had been : The German Federation of Journalists union Prosecutors said they were still waiting for police Haase, said a criminal complaint alleging incitement drinking alcohol and had not taken his anti-anx- called on authorities yesterday to prosecute those reports on the attacks, which also included clashes had been received about remarks made by iety medication prior to the incident. responsible for attacks on reporters at an anti-Islam between PEGIDA protesters and counter-demonstra- speaker and author Akif Pirincci suggesting that Court records show Triceten D. Bickford rally in the eastern city of . tors. A spokesman for the Dresden prosecutors, Lorenz refugees should be put in concentration camps. — AP faces multiple felony charges including intimi- At least three journalists were assaulted by people dation, strangulation and battery in the taking part in the rally organized by the group calling Saturday evening attack in a cafe in itself Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of Bloomington, Indiana. He was released on $500 the West, or PEGIDA. bond and returned to class Monday. Participants at Monday’s rally, which marked the A city police report says officers responded group’s first anniversary, chanted slogans denouncing to reports of an assault at a cafe around 7:30 immigrants, the government and journalists, including p.m. Saturday. The report says a 47-year-old “Lying press, smash their faces!” Hendrik Zoerner, a woman was sitting at a table with her 9-year- spokesman for the German Federation of Journalists, old daughter when a man shouted epithets and said the union had observed a growing willingness racially charged threats at the woman, includ- Triceten D. Bickford among PEGIDA protesters to attack journalists over ing “white power” and “kill them all.” the past year, and a reluctance of bystanders to step Federal authorities could also bring hate According to the report, the man then in. “Sadly, the authorities aren’t doing enough either,” crime charges against Bickford. Wendy grabbed the woman by the neck and forced her Zoerner said. “We’ve repeatedly noted that police Osborne, a spokeswoman for the FBI in head toward the table, restricting her breathing aren’t acting against those who attack journalists.” He Indianapolis, told TV station WXIN that the while trying to take off her headscarf. The cited similar violent incidents at two previous PEGIDA agency is considering whether to open a civil report says her husband and passers-by were rallies in the past month. rights case. Bickford told WTHR-TV in able to pull the man off and restrained him on German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said one of its Indianapolis he has no memory of the incident the sidewalk until police arrived. reporters, Jaafar Abdul Karim, was hit in the neck by and that a combination of drinking alcohol and The man spit in the faces of the husband protesters as he and two colleagues were trying to not taking anti-anxiety medication caused him and passers-by, threatened to kill them and conduct interviews. The Berlin-based news agency to snap. He said he is not a hateful person. arriving officers, tried to kick out the windows Ruptly said one of its cameramen was attacked by “I am so sorry to that woman,” Bickford told of a patrol car and bit an officer on the calf after neo-Nazis, who also broke his camera. Dresden police DRESDEN: Supporters of the PEGIDA movement, “Patriotische Europaeer gegen die the TV station. “I have no idea who she is, but arriving at the Monroe County Jail, according to spokesman Thomas Geithner said a photographer words can’t explain how much that ... I’ve never Islamisierung des Abendlandes,” which translates to “Patriotic Europeans Against the the report. also reported being attacked by four PEGIDA protest- hurt someone like that before.” — AP Islamisation of the Occident” gather at a protest rally yesterday in Dresden, eastern ers and having his camera stolen. Germany. — AFP