From academic to aspiring head of state, Indonesia’s presidential candidate Anies Baswedan lectures for a change

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EAGER TO BURNISH ISLAMIC CREDENTIALS 

Mr Anies’ formal and academic manner was also noticeable when meeting about a thousand volunteers at a local auditorium in Bengkulu in the afternoon.

Upon his arrival, a throng of middle-aged women stormed into the hall, wanting to take selfies with Mr Anies or shake his hands.

They hysterically squeezed themselves in, almost stepping on this reporter who was following Mr Anies and was right behind him.

Standing on a podium at the auditorium’s centre, Mr Anies said he was glad to be back in Bengkulu.

The grandson of Abdurrahman Baswedan –  a national hero of Arab descent who fought for Indonesia’s independence – Mr Anies highlighted his Islamic credentials by saying that he was grateful to return to Bengkulu and to be able to perform ablution with Bengkulu water again.

He repeated the same line a few days later when campaigning in a different town. 

“I ask you all, why are we gathered here today?

“Why? Why? What for? What for? What for? For change! Change! Change!” he said to the crowd passionately.

“Remember, we are gathered here today because we want change,” Mr Anies told the audience – many of whom wore attributes from the Islamic coalition parties like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and PKB, which support him.

“We want justice in Indonesia and a prosperous Indonesia for all.”

He added that the people should vote for him because life in Indonesia is now difficult.

Before heading to his next stop, Mr Anies asked his volunteers to pray together, ending it with a scream of “Amin”, which apart from meaning Amen, is actually also an abbreviation for Anies and Muhaimin.

Amin is their campaigning name, catchy to a lot of Indonesians.

Mr Anies’ last stop in Bengkulu in the second week of Indonesia’s 75-day presidential campaign was at a local beach to meet fishermen.

Right when he arrived, it started to drizzle.

Despite the rain, hundreds of fishermen gathered at the beach to see Mr Anies.

They enthusiastically welcomed him and gave him a traditional conical hat made of bamboo to protect him from the pouring rain.

Mr Anies took the opportunity to assert his support for the fishermen by ensuring the availability of affordable diesel fuel for them to go fishing should he be elected as Indonesia’s eighth president. 

An ice-cream seller at the beach, Mr Zainal Sapiin, was thrilled to see Mr Anies.

The 55-year-old man said that he would vote for Mr Anies. 

“Because to me, what is important is that he is (a) Muslim and (is) pious,” he told CNA.

“Many of our people in Bengkulu like Anies. Congregants at the mosque say Anies is good.”

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China ties dominate Taiwan presidential debate

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Lai has generally been leading opinion polls by around five points, but some have put his main challenger, Hou Yu-ih of Taiwan’s largest opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), much closer behind.

Hou accused Lai of smearing him with accusations of being pro-China. Hou said he opposed both Taiwan independence and China’s “one country, two systems” model of autonomy it has offered to Taiwan, but which no mainstream party supports.

“The current status quo is that the Taiwan Strait is on the brink of war. So, to maintain close ties with the United States while also making peace with China is the solution to the problem,” Hou said.

The KMT traditionally favours close ties with China but strongly denies being pro-Beijing. Like the DPP, the KMT says that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

China has described the election as a choice between war and peace.

Lai also criticised Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) candidate Ko Wen-je for having said the island and China “are one family”.

Ko, whose small TPP has performed above expectations in Taiwan’s dominant two-party landscape, called President Tsai’s cross-strait policies “a mess”.

“Cross-strait issues are not just between Taiwan and China, but it’s also between the United States and China,” Ko said.

“Taiwan needs to find a balance on this … The DPP always takes a very confrontational attitude while the KMT is always thinking about cooperation (with China).”

Ko added that his bottom line on engaging with China was the protection of Taiwan’s current political system and way of life.

“With this bottom line, I’m willing to talk to you,” he said.

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China eases visa application for US tourists

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BEIJING: China will simplify visa applications for tourists from the United States from Jan 1, cutting the documents required, according to a notice on Friday (Dec 29) on the website of the Chinese embassy in Washington. The move is the latest by China to revive tourism and boost the world’sContinue Reading

China expels nine army officials from parliament

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BEIJING: China has expelled nine military officials from its parliament, including several generals of the army’s strategic missile unit, in a sweeping reshuffle following the appointment of a new defence minister. The decision, announced late on Friday (Dec 29) by the state news agency Xinhua came after a meeting ofContinue Reading

Indonesia to impose new tax on e-cigarettes from Jan 1

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JAKARTA: Indonesia will impose a new tax on e-cigarettes from Jan. 1, adding to an excise tax to help curb vaping, the country’s finance ministry said on Saturday (Dec 30). Southeast Asia’s largest economy has set the additional tax at 10 per cent of the excise tariff for electronic cigarettes,Continue Reading

2023 in pictures: A look back at the year’s biggest international news stories

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The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on May 5, that COVID-19 no longer represented a global health emergency. “Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “I’veContinue Reading