Thursday, July 10, 2014

Victory in Indonesia

If the main quick counts are correct, and there is reason to think they are, the prospect of fascism has been defeated in Indonesia.

For the past few weeks, Indonesia, the fourth most populous country on earth, has seemed on the verge of electing a mass killer who worked for decades for the United States.

He called for abolition of the direct vote, mused about fascism and dictatorship, and used the country's special forces and intelligence in a covert attempt to subvert the election
.

But on Wednesday,  July 9,  a day that history will not forget, General Prabowo Subianto was narrowly turned back at the ballot box.


In the poor, working class kampung where I spent election day, there was a deep sense of seriousness as people walked to the polling place.

As the results became apparent, a thin man sitting on a wooden bench said:  "The rakyat (the people) won."

He did not smile.  He looked relieved.

Allan Nairn

Link to Bahasa Indonesia translation


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