JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who rose from poverty and pledged to champion democracy, fight entrenched corruption and modernise the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, was sworn in for his second and final five-year term with a pledge to take bolder actions. An Oct 10 knife attack by a militant couple that wounded the country’s security minister set off a security crackdown. Jokowi presents himself as a man of the people, often emphasising his humble roots. Jokowi was sworn in with his vice-president, Ma’ruf Amin, one of the most important religious figures in Indonesia, who he chose as his running mate to shore up his support among pious Muslims. Jokowi has been widely praised for his efforts to improve Indonesia’s inadequate infrastructure and reduce poverty, which afflicts close to one-10th of the sprawling country’s 270 million people.

Source: The Star October 21, 2019 01:07 UTC