Articles
Jusuf Wanandi: Kalla is open, speaks his mind out.. I think he is a man who can decide and think. Wimar: We want somebody whose hands are clean of sorruption and collusion. Mr Kalla mixed up his public and private roles. Listen to the MP3 audio.
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Outside of the center people are voting on emotional sound bites, not even personality, because people have no idea of the true personalities. The candidates are appealing in some cases to the emotions of the public and in only one case to rational explanations of policies and challenges.
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The real story is not in the quality the debate, but the fact that the debate took place at all. Eleven years ago it would have been a Star Trek-like fantasy that presidential candidates would someday engage in open debate on national television. In fact, presidential elections were non-existent in all of Indonesia’s history prior to 1999. We never had more than one single candidate for the office.
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Wimar says, "Team Kalla has very little chance. The Golkar party is factionalised and a much reduced version of its old self. But like in football, you cannot call the score until the game is over. People of course are concerned about Wiranto but as a political entity, he should not be regarded as a serious threat." Read ›
UPDATED Boediono is 99% - SBY can no longer rely on Golkar. True, Golkar is a guarantee against Islamists, but they are also apologists for corruption and administrative landlords. The choice of a non-party clean person will help strengthen the true base against sectarianism, the middle class moderates. If enough middle class moderates types strengthen the PD voter base (without necessarily becoming members of PD) then the Golkar hold on secular votes will be broken. The PDIP move away from Golkar helps to build up the new non-traditional secular base. Read ›
Civilians have won over militarists. Gerindra and Hanura combined earned only 8.04% of popular viotes, which means the civilian parties have a majority of 91.88%. Secular parties have won a resounding majority, with only the PKS left as a voice for sectarian politics. PAN, PKB, PPP, parties with heavy religious content, have declared support for a non-sectarian president. Read ›
This is not the place to find details on the case, which is being covered ad nausea in local papers and websites as well as international media. We do, however, have perspectives on the matter, as we should. The Australian Network television channel interviewed Wimar Witoelar last night on the News Hour program with Jim Middleton. Watch the YouTube recording of Wimar's answers. Read ›
the candidacy of Kalla-Wiranto (Golkar and Hanura) weakens the non-SBY side. Another ticket is coming up from the Grand Coalition, possibly Megawati-Prabowo or Prabowo-Puan. Whoever is on the ticket, it will split the vote. In fact two tickets involving two generals with questionable records will accelerate the exit of four national figures from presidential politics. Read ›
Wimar in the Jakarta Post: Lack of competence caused the elections to get a C grade, but Indonesian democracy still gets an A. Belaboring the mistakes could distract the nation away from its determination to forge on, muddle on, keeping our heads high and rise to the next challenge. To be sure, the KPU are not the only incompetent body. The government is incompetent. The courts are incompetent. The legislature is incompetent. And in those bodies incompetence is mixed with ill intention. Read ›
In his first post-election television interview, Wimar says voters have forgotten that SBY made many mistakes and choose the security of an incumbent and continuity rather than gamble on something new. Even the rival parties need a lot of courage to break away from SBY. To the extent that they can still work with him, they would hesitate in forming their own coalitions. Because this parliamentary election has confirmed that there is nobody on the political horizon who can compete with the President's popularity. Read ›
The presidency is his to lose. If Mr SBY ia watching this show, I would advise him that he has a very wide following, but it is thin. So he'd better not lose the two characteristics that make people choose you. They are basically two: pluralism and clean government. See the video Read ›
He needs a Vice President, and Sultan Hamengku Buwono of Yogyakarta will do. He is a good guy, a decent man, electable, and could win some votes. The SBY-HB ticket will be solid if announced soon enough to keep JK off balance. He will be kept busy in a no-man's land of fencing with Megawati for the number one spot, when both do not qualify for even number two. Read ›
the deals that are being made are hypothetical.. they are general rehearsals for the actual deals which have to be made after the parliamentary election count is finished... I don't think this election will be illegitimate. It will be legitimate but it will not be enthusaiastic and it may not generate the desired results. But it will be a true election in the world's third largest democracy.... catch 'Wimar on Indonesian Elections', an Australia Network TV News Hour - now on YouTube in 6 parts Read ›
What is impressive is his decisiveness in leaving a secure career as business executive and investing himself full-time into his beliefs. He scoured the silver crafts people of Bali and Yogya and found a reliable person who is his sole production arm. And for once I heard no complaint about government inefficiency, local intransigence or corrupt politicians. He lives what I preach: be yourself, do what you like best, keep a positive attitude. Read ›
The talks between Clinton and Wirayuda could not have produced more positive results. Read the news. The hopes for an American revival led by President Obama are on track. In a move certain to be recognized by admirers of John F. Kennedy, Clinton announced US government plan to reactivate the Peace Corps in Indonesia. Also the Fulbright scholarship and support for civil society. Read ›
Indonesia Now, a weekly news summary hosted by Dalton Tanunaka on Metro TV, aired an interview with Wimar Witoelar on February 14, 2009. Here are some snippets from that show Read ›
article is in English, with Indonesian blurb: Banyak yang tidak tahu bahwa negara Arab tidak satu dalam dukungan terhadap Hamas. Ini contoh perkembangan terakhir, dari Reuters..... Egypt aired its grievances against Iran, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, saying they worked together in the fighting over Gaza to provoke conflict in the Middle East. Read ›
Here we are in Barack Obama's first 100 days as President, and reaction is Indonesia is a full range of expectations from hope to skepticism.The most naive expectation is that he will somehow help Indonesia because he lived here as a child. The most skeptical view is that he is just another American. In terms of the Middle East conflict, the skeptics say that America will always support Israel, That is probably true, but there are many sides to Israel and the ones that we often saw during the Bush administration were the belligerent aggressive sides. Likewise anti-Arab views see the Palestinians as being irresponsible without qualification. Life is never that simple. There are good guys and bad guys everywhere without regard to national boundaries. Read ›
No substance, no Great President... Rizal Ramli has announced for the Presidency of Indonesia and is very candid about his chances. He is a personal friend and since nobody can be a formal candidate until the results of the parliamentary elections on April 9, 2009 are known, I have not made up my mind on whom to support. But I do have certain viewpoints on the kinds of things we look for in a president. A friend has written something on the talks we had on that Chinese New Year party, the only one celebrated in the home of a presidential canidate. Read ›
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) said that we must remember that we have always possessed roots of pluralism, which was not imported. In his end-of-year address, he expressed hope that next year our politicians pay more attention to issues that threaten our pluralism heritage. The year of 2008 will be remembered as one of the years that challenged the threads of pluralism, while tolerance was put to the test. Read ›
