DAP congratulates reformist candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on his historic election as the newly-elected President of Indonesia. As the first outsider and from a poor background to be elected to the nation’s highest office, Jokowi carries the hopes and goodwill of his country-men as well as many foreign friends of Indonesia to create a greater and more prosperous Indonesia, that can lift many of his poor country-men like him out of poverty.
On another level, Jokowi’s election as President is a victory for democratic principles of majority rules, fighting corruption and clean politics without smear tactics. Malaysia can learn how to conduct an election process fairly and properly that respects the principle of “one-person, one-vote, one-value” principle that abides by the decision of the majority. Democracy is not democracy when the minority rules over the majority.
Malaysians can also learn that a strong commitment to fighting corruption is essential for sustained economic growth because international markets are upgrading Indonesia due to high expectations of the anti-corruption dividends derived from having a clean government. Finally Indonesia has proven that smear tactics that attempted to destroy Jokowi’s character either that he is not a Muslim or he is subservient to non-Muslim interests do not work. Jokowi should be praised for refusing to engage in a similar smear campaign against his opponents.
For Malaysia, the immediate consideration is for Jokowi to adopt effective and concrete measures to stop the haze pollution coming in from Indonesia as a result of illegal forest burnings in Sumatera and Kalimantan by unscrupulous businessmen clearing land for oil palm estates. DAP voices the hopes of 28 million Malaysians that a keen environmentalist like Jokowi can finally break the stalemate and end the annual haze pollution that is tormenting us even now. This success would bring Indonesia and Malaysian relations to a whole new level that would accord Indonesia as the undisputed regional leader who can represent the interests of all the people in ASEAN.