Frontline – July 05, 2019

strongmanimage.Hewasdischargedfromthearmy

despitebeingat thetimetheson-in-lawof formerPresid-

entSuharto. Hewasfoundguiltyof serious humanrights

abuses.Thiswashisfourthattemptat winningthepres-

identialelection.Hiscandidaturewasbackedbyformer

Suhartoloyalists andpartiesthat wanta strongerrolefor

thearmedforcesin theaffairsof thecountry.Prabowo,

whois notknownforhisreligiosity,hadstartedtailoring

hisviews toencompasstheviewsofradicalIslamist

groups.

Jokowihad,however,stitchedupa broadallianceof

leadingsecularandmainstream religiousparties to

counterhisrival’stactics.Prabowo’smainalliancewas

withfundamentalistIslamistgroupingsthat,in thelast

coupleofyears,hadgainedconsiderablestrengthby

targetingminorities.Thesegroupswereresponsiblefor

thedismissalandjailingof theGovernorof Jakartaanda

closeassociateofJokowi,BasukiTjahajaPurnama, or

Ahok. Hewasconvictedontrumped-upchargesof “blas-

phemy”.Ahok is of Chineseancestryandis a Christian.

Thegeneralelectionin Indonesia,whichwasheldin

April, wasoneofthelargestexercisesofitskindand

rivalledthatof India.However,unlikein India,thevote

DURINGTHESAMEPERIODTHATTHEINDIAN

general electionwasgoing onin AprilandMay,votersin

Indonesia,SouthAfrica andThailand alsoexercised their

franchise.Barringtheflawedelectoralexercisein Thail-

and,thepollingin theothertwocountrieswasfreeand

generallynon-controversial.Therewerenosurprises

emergingoutof theballotbox inallthreecountries.In

SouthAfrica, therulingAfrican National Congress

(ANC)wonasexpected butwitha reducedmargin.In

Indonesia,thefightwasonceagainbetweenPresident

JokoWidodoandPrabowoSubianto.Thetwohadcome

facetofacefiveyearsagowithJoko,orJokowiasheis

known, winninghandsdown.

Jokowiis known to beanhonestpolitician.Hisgov-

ernment invested heavily in expanding social pro-

grammes,including makinghealth care more accessible

tothepoor,andis creditedwithbuilding roadsand

airports inremotepartsof theIndonesianarchipelago.

BeforebecomingPresident, Jokowi earnedhisreputa-

tionasanableadministratorasGovernorofJakarta.

Duringhisfirsttermas President, hemadefurther efforts

to makeJakartaa moreliveablecity.

Prabowo,a formermilitaryman,hascultivateda

Staying power

PRESIDENTJOKOWIDODOof

Indonesiagreets supporters as his

motorcadepasses through the village

of Kutuh in Bali, on May 17.

BRYAN

DENTON/THE

NEW

YORK

TIMES

Inkeynationalelections, PresidentsJokoWidodoandtheANC’sCyril

Ramaphosaarere-electedinIndonesiaandSouthAfrica,andthecoup

leaderPrayuthChan-ochais confirmedas PrimeMinisterin Thailand.

BYJOHNCHERIAN

CYRIL RAMAPHOSAtakesoath

as South Africa’sPresidentat the

Loftus Versfeld Stadiumin Pretoria,

on May 25.

WORLD AFFAIRS

ELECTIONS

PRAYUTHCHAN-OCHA,Thailand’s

PrimeMinister,talks to reporters

before a meeting at governmenthouse

in Bangkok, on June 6.

SAKCH

AI

LALIT/AP

AP