A Shot in the Dark: Indonesia’s President Want’s ‘Polite Democracy.’ Good Luck With That.
NEED TO KNOW
A Shot in the Dark: Indonesia’s President Want’s ‘Polite Democracy.’ Good Luck With That.
INDONESIA
When Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto took office in October, some dismissed his “dark” past, believing he might be a shot in the arm for Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, elevating it economically, politically, and internationally.
Instead, in just six months, the mercurial former soldier has given the country an adrenaline rush, but not quite how many voters imagined: He has moved fast and furiously to change the established order and dismantle parts of the government, inspiring bewilderment, concern, and rage.
“Less than six months into his five-year term as president, Prabowo already faces a mountain of challenges,” wrote World Politics Review. The magazine was referring to the leader’s new economic plans that have consumers and investors revolting, his “massively bloated Cabinet” of 109 officials who were forced to go to a military boot camp, and his nonchalance over public corruption – he has suggested that corrupt officials be pardoned.
Taking over from his ally, President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, for whom he served as defense minister, Prabowo has long been a member of the political elite as the son-in-law of the long-serving former dictator, Suharto.
He won elections last year as the “cuddly grandpa” candidate even as his record of abuses, atrocities and potential war crimes followed him: He is accused of involvement in brutal killings and massacres in East Timor and Papua New Guinea in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and the forced disappearances of student protesters of the Suharto regime in the late 1990s – 13 students remain missing to this day.
Known as a “walking crime wave,” Prabowo was banned by the US banned Prabowo for two decades.
After taking office in October, he vowed to transform Indonesia’s economy, often talking about cutting waste and increasing efficiency, to bring its growth rate from its current 5 percent to 8 percent. He promised a bright future: “I am positive that we will make big surprises in the weeks and months to come,” he said.
Instead, unemployment, already high among the under 35 group, is rising, the stock market tumbling, and the Indonesian rupiah has plummeted to rates not seen since Asia’s financial crisis in the late 1990s.
“In many ways, this ought to be Indonesia’s moment,” wrote Bloomberg, noting Indonesia’s enormous economic potential. “But in recent weeks, it’s all gone pear-shaped.”
Analysts say the uncertainty he has created with massive cuts to the national budget for 2025 to reduce government spending by 8.5 percent and other actions – all coming without any warning – are negatively impacting investor confidence and consumer behavior and creating deflationary pressures. The country’s central bank cut its 2025 growth forecast in January, pointing to a weaker economic outlook and sluggish domestic consumption, the Financial Times wrote.
Those budget cuts – which include everything from canceling infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges to cutting air conditioning in public buildings and halting transfer payments to local governments, have angered the middle class and the young because they mean massive cuts to services, both at the federal and local level, as well as jobs and education.
Meanwhile, the president is already talking now about another round of cuts.
While some of the savings will go to his pet program, a $28-billion free meal program for students and expectant mothers to be partially administered by the military, much of it will go to a new, state sovereign wealth fund called Danantara, which will control some of the country’s largest state-owned enterprises. Prabowo says he will control the fund, which will hold $900 billion. “Never before has so much of Indonesia’s wealth been placed at the discretion of one man,” noted The Economist.
The budget cuts and the fund have set off fury.
Last month, thousands of Indonesians led by students concerned about the cuts “in the guise of efficiency” took to the streets in the “Indonesia Gelap” (Dark Indonesia) protests, the name a play on the country’s goal to become “Golden Indonesia,” a developed country by 2045.
The protesters, who have also complained of the suppression of dissent, were met with water cannons and tear gas, according to the Jakarta Post.
Meanwhile, hashtag “#kaburajadulu” (just flee first) has gone viral as the young encourage one another to leave the country for better opportunities elsewhere.
Voters are also concerned about the sovereign wealth fund, conflicts of interest, and corruption, especially as the budget cuts have targeted departments that provide government oversight.
The president, meanwhile, has fiercely criticized the protests while cracking down on the opposition, dissent, and media freedoms, analysts said.
“These demonstrations reflect deep public anxiety over the tightening grip of the elites on state policies, an alarming phenomenon known as state capture,” said Ismail Khosen of the University of Indonesia. “The dominance of business actors in government is no longer a mere suspicion, it’s an undeniable reality. Democracy, which should serve … to channel the aspirations of the people, is instead being hijacked by an oligarchy seeking to preserve its power.”
Protesters took to the streets again in mid-March after the legislature approved a bill that would essentially increase the number of active duty military personnel in civilian government jobs without requiring them to resign their commissions or retire.
Some say that’s a throwback to the military dictatorship of President Suharto, which lasted 32 years until he was forced out of office in 1998 by student-led protests. His regime was marked by widespread abuses and impunity. The long-abolished Dwifungsi ABRI (dual-function role of the military) was a hallmark of Suharto’s regime.
“The essence of democracy is that the military should not engage in politics – the military should only manage barracks and national defense,” Wilson, a protester, told the BBC. “Since 1998, there has been a creeping murder of democracy. And today marks its peak.”
Analysts say his actions are unsurprising – he has long said democracy was a Western import ill-suited to Indonesia while continuing a trend under Jokowi to further enrich the elite, consolidate power, and undermine democracy and the rule of law. As such, he told the legislature in his inaugural speech that he wants “a polite democracy where dissenting opinions must be free of hostility.”
“Having referred to democracy as ‘tiring’ and ‘messy,’” wrote Modern Diplomacy, “one cannot picture Prabowo as anything other than an autocrat-in-waiting bent on applying the finishing touches to what he deems a ‘failed social experiment’ and ushering in an era of retrograde, junta-inspired governance.”
Still, student-led demonstrations in Indonesia over the past few decades have forced leaders into policy reversals and brought down a president far more powerful than Prabowo, noted Yanuar Nugroho and Made Supriatma, two Indonesian scholars at the Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“Whether they will catalyze change or fade into history is uncertain,” they wrote, “but what is clear is that Indonesia’s youth and civil society remain vigilant, continuing to shape the nation’s democratic evolution.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Chaos Erupts As Israel’s Top Court Hears Case Against Shin Bet Leader’s Firing
ISRAEL
Israel’s Supreme Court began hearings Tuesday into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of the head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, prompting chaos inside and outside the courtroom and drawing renewed attention to deepening political divisions in the country amid the ongoing war in Gaza, Agence France-Presse reported.
The case centers on Netanyahu’s decision last month to dismiss Ronen Bar, citing a “lack of trust” and failure to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and its allies in southern Israel.
However, the top court froze the move after opposition parties and civil society groups filed petitions questioning its legality.
During Tuesday’s session, the courtroom erupted in shouting, prompting judges to clear the chamber and continue the hearing without an audience.
Outside the courthouse, government critics and supporters clashed, with some accusing Bar of failing to prevent Hamas’ attack, while others said Netanyahu was exploiting the situation to obstruct investigations into himself.
Bar, who was appointed by a previous government in 2021, has strongly rejected Netanyahu’s accusations, calling them “unsubstantiated” and politically motivated.
He claimed that his dismissal was intended to hinder Shin Bet investigations into “events leading up to October 7” and the so-called “Qatargate” scandal: Netanyahu’s close aides are accused of receiving covert payments from Qatar.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara echoed similar concerns, warning that Bar’s removal risked politicizing the agency and was “tainted by a personal conflict of interest on the part of the prime minister due to the criminal investigations involving his associates.”
However, Netanyahu’s legal team argued the petitions were “purely political” and insisted the prime minister has the authority to remove agency heads.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu – who traveled to Washington this week – has described the “Qatargate” scandal as a political witch-hunt launched by what he called the “Deep State,” according to Reuters.
The court’s ruling is expected this week.
Bar, who previously said he would consider stepping down after the war and hostage crisis ends, is currently due to serve until 2026.
Italian Officials: Ticketing Agencies Make It ‘Impossible’ To Visit Rome’s Colosseum
ITALY
Italy’s Competition Authority (AGCM) on Tuesday fined several ticketing agencies a total of $22 million for practices that have made it difficult for tourists to visit Rome’s Colosseum, the Associated Press reported
The Cooperative Culture Society (CoopCulture), responsible for ticket sales from 1997 to 2024, received the biggest fine, more than $7 million, for contributing to the unavailability of base-price tickets online and redirecting visitors to purchase tickets at much higher prices from platforms that included additional services like tour guides or line-skipping, according to Italian press agency Ansa.
“On the one hand, CoopCulture failed to take adequate steps to counter automated ticket hoarding; on the other, it kept a sizeable share of tickets for bundled sales tied to its own educational tours, which generated considerable profits,” wrote AGCM in a statement.
Six tour operators in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Ireland were also fined for buying tickets in bulk using automated systems to make base-price tickets unavailable for tourists and forcing visitors to buy tickets from resellers at higher prices.
The competition authority launched an investigation in July 2023 and found that the online purchase of tickets to the Roman-era Colosseum amphitheater “was essentially impossible.”
The Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, operated by the Italian Culture Ministry, lists the access price to the Colosseum for adults at about $19.70, which buys 20 minutes on the landmark’s main floor.
In 2023, more than 12.3 million tourists visited the Colosseum, making it Italy’s top attraction.
Mozambique Pushes for Peace
MOZAMBIQUE
Mozambique’s lawmakers unanimously approved a landmark law this month intended to diffuse the crisis set off by last year’s disputed elections and promote political reconciliation and stability in the resource-rich country, Africanews reported.
The new measure would revise the constitution to restructure the state, depoliticize institutions, and decentralize political, economic, and financial authority. It would also weaken the president’s office.
Meanwhile, it will grant pardons to those arrested and convicted for taking part in the post-election protests.
The ruling Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) party – in power for the entire 49 years since the country’s independence from Portugal – emphasized its role in strengthening democracy and fostering trust between political actors.
All political parties in the country have approved the new measure.
The law is part of a peace agreement signed on March 5 between President Daniel Chapo and other political parties aimed at ending months of violent protests over last year’s election results led by independent presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, explained the Associated Press. More than 300 people died in the violent crackdown by the government amid more than five months of protests.
Chapo won the October vote in a landslide. Mondlane, who came in second, disputed the fairness of the vote as did other opposition parties and Western observers, according to the Guardian.
Despite the unanimous support given to the law, opposition parties expressed concerns about the timing and intent behind the initiative, with some accusing the government of pushing the law to stall for time while the state carries out further repression.
DISCOVERIES
Everyone’s Getting Along
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens – were they rivals, peaceful neighbors, or even more intertwined?
For years, researchers weren’t sure.
But now, a new study shows that these two human species coexisted and shared aspects of daily life, interactions which led them to develop common technological and cultural practices, Cosmos Magazine explained.
“Our data show that human connections and population interactions have been fundamental in driving cultural and technological innovations throughout history,” said study co-author Yossi Zaidner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The region where the species coexisted is the southern Levant in the eastern Mediterranean, consisting of modern-day Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. Modern humans may have left Africa in waves as early as 250,000 years ago, while Neanderthals emerged in Europe around the same time. Their paths crossed for the first time in the Levant during the Middle Paleolithic (300,000 to 50,000 years ago), leaving behind archeological evidence of their presence and turning the region into a melting pot, according to EarthSky.
“During the mid-Middle Paleolithic, climatic improvements increased the region’s carrying capacity, leading to demographic expansion and intensified contact between different Homo taxa,” said study co-author Marion Prévost.
An example of this contact consists of shared burial customs, which first appeared in the Levant about 110,000 years ago.
During an excavation at a site in central Israel known as the Tinshemet Cave, archeologists found several burial sites belonging to both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, dating to the mid-Middle Paleolithic from130,000 to 80,000 years ago.
Some of the burials found at Tinshemet Cave used mineral pigments, especially ochre, for body decoration, probably to define social identities among ancient human groups.
The findings indicate a period of cultural change, revealing a more intricate network of interactions between ancient human groups than previously thought.