TWO factors drove Indonesians to elect Joko Widodo, universally known as Jokowi, president in 2014. The first was his reputation for clean governance, earned as mayor of the midsized Javanese city of Solo and then as governor of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. The second was his personal background: a former furniture-seller, he is Indonesia’s first president to come from outside the political and military elite, which has long dominated Indonesia’s narrow politics. Voters wanted him to change the system.
Many of his supporters were therefore angered when, in January 2015, he nominated Budi Gunawan to head the national police force. The appointment was widely seen as a sop to Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former president who heads Jokowi’s party, the PDI-P. Just days after the appointment was announced, Indonesia’s anti-corruption commission declared that Mr Budi was suspected of corruption. After weeks of protests Jokowi dropped Mr Budi and appointed the uncontroversial Badrodin Haiti in his place.
Mr Haiti will reach the mandatory retirement age of 58 in July. To replace him Jokowi surprised everyone by choosing Tito Karnavian, a...Continue reading
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