ASIA / PACIFIC
Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
August 4, 2014
Jakarta governor wins Indonesian presidency
JOKOWI VICTORY. Indonesian president-
elect Joko Widodo, center, greets supporters with his
“three-finger greeting” symbolizing the “Unity of Indo-
nesia,” the third of Indonesia’s five principles, during
a gathering in Jakarta last month. Jakarta governor
Widodo, known to most as “Jokowi,” was declared
the winner after all the votes were counted. (AP Photo/
Dita Alangkara)
By Niniek Karmini and Ali Kotarumalos
The Associated Press
AKARTA, Indonesia — Jakarta
governor Joko Widodo, who
captured the hearts of millions of
Indonesians with his common man image,
was declared the winner of the country’s
presidential election, calling it a victory for
all of the nation’s people.
A former furniture exporter known to
most as “Jokowi,” Widodo was the first
candidate in a direct presidential election
in Indonesia with no ties to Suharto, the
former dictator who ruled for 30 years
before being overthrown in 1998.
“This is a victory for all Indonesian
people,” Widodo, who received 53 percent
of the vote according to the Election
Commission, said in a televised speech.
“We hope this victory will pave the way to
build Indonesia to be an independent
economy.”
The other contender in the July 9
election, former Gen. Prabowo Subianto,
declared he was withdrawing from the
contest shortly before the final numbers
were released by the commission, saying
there was massive fraud during the
election, and that it was unfair and
undemocratic.
Indonesia is a sprawling archipelago of
about 17,000 islands and 240 million
people, and the commission needed two
weeks to count all the votes.
Widodo had maintained a slim lead of
about four percentage points in unofficial
“quick counts” by polling agencies released
after the election. But Subianto, who has
declared assets of $140 million and was on
his third bid for the presidency, repeatedly
J
claimed that polling firms with links to his
campaign showed he was ahead.
“We reject the 2014 presidential
election, which is illegitimate, and
therefore we withdraw from the ongoing
process,” he said.
Observers of the election said they were
generally fair and free, with minimal
abnormalities. Maswadi Rauf, a political
professor at the University of Indonesia,
said he saw no sign of significant fraud, as
alleged by Subianto.
Subianto’s rejection of the results
“reflects the real attitudes of the elite, who
are not yet ready to accept losing,” Rauf
said. “We are still in a transition to
democracy, which is indeed not our
culture. And what is happening indicates
we are still immature, we need to learn.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
congratulated Widodo on his election
victory, and said the U.S. and Indonesia
share common values, including respect
for human rights and the rule of law.
“The United States looks forward to
working with President-elect Widodo as
we deepen our partnership,” Kerry said in
a statement.
In Jakarta, there were no immediate
reports of violence. About 100 Subianto
supporters held a peaceful protest about
300 yards from the Election Commission
building in the city’s downtown, chanting
“Prabowo is the real president” and
holding banners saying that the
commission should stop cheating.
The building was surrounded by
thousands of policemen to maintain
security after a particularly nasty
presidential campaign marred by smear
tactics from both camps. Widodo blamed
his drop in opinion polls in the weeks
before the election on character assaults
that accused him, among other things, of
not being a follower of Islam — a charge
that he denounced.
Indonesia has the world’s fourth-largest
population and is the most populous
Muslim country.
Despite Widodo’s lack of experience in
national politics, he built a reputation as
being a man of the people and an efficient
leader who wants to advance democratic
reforms, and was elected to run Jakarta,
the capital, in 2012. He is widely viewed as
untainted by the often corrupt military
and business elite that have run Indonesia
for decades.
Subianto, meanwhile, a general in the
Suharto regime and the late dictator’s
former son-in-law, came from a wealthy,
well-known family. He had a dubious
human-rights record during his military
career, but was seen as a strong and
decisive leader. His campaign was better
financed and he received endorsements
from most of the country’s major political
parties, including that of outgoing
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
who served two terms lasting 10 years and
was constitutionally barred from seeking
re-election.
Final results showed that Widodo, from
the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle, received just under 71 million
votes, or 53 percent of the more than 133
million valid ballots cast, while Subianto
got 62.6 million votes, or 47 percent.
Voter turnout was 71 percent, down
slightly from the 2009 presidential
election, when it was 72 percent.
Chinese man brings gay conversion therapy lawsuit
By Louise Watt
The Associated Press
EIJING — A gay Chinese man has
reported that he’s suing a
psychological clinic for carrying
out electric shocks intended to turn him
straight, as well as the search engine giant
Baidu for advertising the center.
The Beijing LGBT Center, which cam-
paigns for gay rights, said it was the first
court case involving so-called conversion
therapy in China.
China declassified homosexuality as a
mental disorder in 2001.
The center’s executive director, Xin
Ying, said some professional hospitals in
China, as well as smaller private clinics,
still provide conversion therapy and that
the group hopes the case at the Haidian
District People’s Court in Beijing will lead
to a ban on the therapy.
Yang Teng, 30, told The Associated
Press that the therapy given to him in-
cluded hypnosis and electric shock and he
B
was left physically and mentally hurt. He
said he voluntarily underwent the therapy
in February following pressure from his
parents to get married and have a child.
“My hometown is a small city, people
there still care about carrying on the
family line,” Yang said, adding that now he
can finally accept his homosexuality.
His lawyer, Li Duilong, said Yang was
suing the Chongqing Xinyu Piaoxiang
CONVERSION CENTER PROTESTED.
Gay rights campaigners hold up banners before a pro-
test outside a court where the first court case in China
involving so-called conversion therapy is being held in
Beijing, China. A gay Chinese man is suing a psycho-
logical clinic for carrying out electric shocks intended
to turn him straight, as well as the search engine giant
Baidu for advertising the center. The words on the
banners read (L-R) “Gay, No Need to be Treated,”
“Support Haidian Court, Against Twisted Treatment,”
and “Ms. Baidu Promotes Gay Treatment by Li Yan-
hong.” (Li Yanhong is the chairman of Baidu). (AP
Photo/Ng Han Guan)
clinic for infringing his personal and
health rights because they told him
electric shock treatment was not
dangerous, but then harmed his health.
He also said that Baidu bore joint liability
because it carried its advertisement.
Li said part of their argument was that
homosexuality was not a disease and
should not be treated.
“According to the law, both sides should
sign an agreement before electric shock or
hypnosis is carried out, but (the clinic) did
Continued on page 9
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