President Widodo and Prabowo Subianto need no longer contend with restiveness from Indonesia's second-largest party: Golkar Chair Airlangga Hartarto sensationally resigned and his replacement will be the Widodo-Prabowo loyalist Bahlil Lahadahlia.
Kevin and Erin discuss the implications for democratization (spoiler: not good) and, specifically, regional-head races (not good either). For Jakarta's race, the maneuvering will exclude incumbent Gov Anies Baswedan, ensuring the election of Ridwan Kamil as the only party-backed nominee on the ballot - and we examine comparable dynamics in several other provinces. But, if Widodo emerges as chair of Golkar Advisory Board that has expanded powers, how will that function in practice? Indonesia's attempt at a duumvirate inevitably entails inherent tensions.
Also: the attempted comeback of the Constitutional Court's former chief justice, Anwar Usman; the abrupt resignation of a key Information Ministry official; and, in Thailand, the ouster of Prime Minister Sretta and his replacement with Paetongtarn (Ung Ing) Shinawatra.
Finally: an interview on human trafficking with the Airlangga University PhD candidate in labor migration studies, Aniello Iannone. We discuss the dimensions and dynamics of illegal trafficking (TPPO) in Indonesia, domestically and internationally, including the mechanisms of agents operating at the community level - and how certain civil-society organizations are striving to safeguard victims, including children.
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