Indonesia election seeks to cement democratic tradition

  Representing the establishment is Prabowo Subianto, 62, a former top general and wealthy businessman. The former son-in-law of [Suharto], Prabowo is barred from the USA for human rights abuses committed when he commanded Indonesia's special forces. While Prabowo presents "a general'...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inGannett News Service
Main Author MacLeod, Calum
Format Newsletter
LanguageEnglish
Published McLean USA Today, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc 08.07.2014
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MacLeod, Calum
Prabowo Subianto
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Summary:  Representing the establishment is Prabowo Subianto, 62, a former top general and wealthy businessman. The former son-in-law of [Suharto], Prabowo is barred from the USA for human rights abuses committed when he commanded Indonesia's special forces. While Prabowo presents "a general's vision" for Indonesia, Jokowi appears more a man of the people, said Ganewati Wuryandari, an international relations expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences in Jakarta. "The voters are polarized by two candidates with different backgrounds and different perspectives, which will influence their way of thinking and how to govern Indonesia," she said. Wuryandari expects a changed nation after the vote. "I think Indonesia will be more confident as a country as Indonesia can prove to the world that it is becoming a strong democratic country with strong economic growth" and an improving security environment, she said.