Author:

‘Fix it from within’: More Chinese Indonesians chase seats in parliament

Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia will see almost 10,000 people, including some from the country’s ethnic Chinese minority, competing in Wednesday’s general elections to become one of 580 lawmakers in the national parliament. According to Indonesia’s General Elections Commission (KPU), there are 9,917 candidates representing 18 political parties across 38 provinces. Among those running are Indonesians of Chinese descent, who accounted for about 2.8 million of Indonesia’s then-237 million people, in the 2010 national census. The more recent census in 2020 did not list its ethnicities. For Chinese Indonesians, democracy has afforded them political rights that were once restricted. During more than 30 years under the rule of Soeharto, who resigned following mass protests in 1998, Chinese Indonesians were not allowed to publicly celebrate the Lunar New Year and assimilation policies were introduced to make them more “Indonesian”, effectively turning them into second-class citizens. Many turned to business and the private sector to earn a living after they were limited from government positions. “Politics is not for everyone,” said Taufiq Tanasaldy, a senior lecturer in Indonesian and Asian studies at the University of Tasmania. “Particularly for the Chinese who had endured decades of discriminatory policies under the Soeharto regime.” Indonesia’s ethnic Chinese minority can now celebrate the Lunar New Year and are no longer a target of official assimilation policies [Randy Mulyanto/Al Jazeera] But Taufiq said interest had “grown post-Soeharto due to political reforms and policies aimed at eradicating discriminatory practices”, referring to equal opportunities for ethnic Chinese to run for office and vote for their preferred candidates. “The elections or appointments of several Chinese individuals to national and regional politics sparked this growing interest. The visibility of their initial ‘success’ has been important to the Chinese community,” he told Al Jazeera. Among the prominent Chinese who have gone into politics is former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok. He was later jailed for blasphemy over comments made on the campaign trail and has adopted a lower profile since his release. “Representation has been steady, certainly not getting worse,” Taufiq said. But for many Chinese Indonesian voters, Taufiq said, “parties with nationalist platforms are more attractive compared to those championing sectarian values … particularly at the national level”. With more than 270 million people, Indonesia has almost 205 million eligible voters participating in the 2024 poll. The general elections are set to take place just four days after the Lunar New Year. February 14 is also Ash Wednesday, a holy day for Indonesians who are Catholic. Despite representation, the current system of proportional representation could disadvantage some candidates who now have to campaign directly for seats. R Siti Zuhro, a research professor of political science at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), says the open-list made it “very difficult to compete” for some candidates compared with the previous system where votes went to the party rather than the individual candidates. “It is more dependent on the legislative candidate [to do the work] – either their effort or money – in carrying out tactical strategies, not the party,” she told Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera spoke to three Chinese Indonesians who are running for the national parliament. Fuidy Luckman, PKB Fuidy Luckman is a candidate for the Muslim-based National Awakening Party (PKB) which supports Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar for president and vice president, as Muhaimin is its current chairperson. One of PKB’s founding figures was Indonesia’s late president Abdurrahman Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, who lifted the ban on public Lunar New Year celebrations while in office in 2000. Fuidy Luckman in his office in North Jakarta. He says Chinese Indonesians  should not be afraid to get  involved in politics [Randy Mulyanto/Al Jazeera] Originally from Singkawang in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, 61-year-old Fuidy moved to Jakarta for university in 1983 and has lived there ever since. He campaigned in some of the poorest parts of the sprawling capital, meeting residents and also posting videos on TikTok and Instagram. Fuidy, who owns a company in the wood industry in Jakarta, urged Chinese Indonesians to come out and vote and take part in Indonesia’s “festival of democracy”. “We ethnic Chinese do not need to feel allergic to politics because we live in Indonesia,” he told Al Jazeera. “Do not ask to be recognised as Indonesians when we instead put aside the [democratic] processes.” If he gets elected, Fuidy wants to pursue programmes related to “justice” and “equality” – focusing on more affordable education and healthcare. Mery Sutedjo, Partai Buruh Mery Sutedjo joined Partai Buruh (Labour Party), whose founders include Indonesia’s various national trade union confederations. The party is headed by labour activist Said Iqbal and has not officially supported any presidential candidate. Mery, who runs a housing construction company, says she found Partai Buruh to be the right platform to push for better social welfare and law enforcement for the Indonesian working class, including blue-collar and white-collar workers. Born in Medan in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province, the 54-year-old moved to Jakarta more than 30 years ago for university and is hoping to win one of the capital’s seats in the national parliament. As part of her campaign strategy, Mery hands out her business cards to people she meets and introduces herself. She has also asked for her family, friends and business contacts for their support. “I hope there’s an opportunity and possibility for people like me – for an ordinary female Chinese minority without political experience and background to run for office,” she told Al Jazeera. Mery Sutedjo is running for the Indonesian Labour Party [Handout/Mary Sutedjo] Redi Nusantara, Perindo A candidate with the Perindo Party, Redi Nusantara is running in Indonesia’s Central Java province. Perindo is backing the presidential pair of Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD. It backed outgoing President Joko Widodo when the leader won his second term in 2019. The 55-year-old, who owns a factory making metal racks for cabling, wants to attract more foreign investments into Indonesia and develop a tax regime that encourages

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 720

As the war enters its 720th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. Fighting Norway’s intelligence service warned Russia was “gaining the advantage” in the war in Ukraine owing to a greater number of troops and materiel supplied by Iran, China, North Korea and Belarus. Nils Andreas Stensones, the head of the military intelligence unit, said Kyiv would need “extensive” Western military assistance to turn the situation around. Researchers in Kyiv said a preliminary analysis concluded that Russia hit the Ukrainian capital last week with a hypersonic Zircon missile, marking the weapon’s first use in the war. The Zircon has a range of 1,000km (625 miles) and travels at nine times the speed of sound, according to Russia. Ukraine’s Air Force said air defence systems destroyed 14 out of 17 drones that Russia launched overnight and one Kh-59 cruise missile. Some buildings were damaged, including in the central city of Dnipro, but there were no reports of casualties. The Kremlin denied Ukraine’s claim that its troops were using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system for military communications in parts of Ukraine it occupies. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the system was neither certified for use in, nor officially supplied to, Russia, and therefore could not be used. Politics and diplomacy The European Union adopted a law to set aside windfall profits made on frozen Russian central bank assets, in the first concrete step towards the bloc’s aim of using the money to finance the reconstruction of Ukraine. Some 300 billion euros ($323 billion) of Russian central bank assets were frozen after the country launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Kristina Puzyreva, a Canadian-Russian woman, pleaded guilty in a United States court to money laundering conspiracy for her role in a multimillion-dollar scheme to send drone and missile components to Russia for military use against Ukraine, the US Justice Department said. She faces a maximum of 20 years in prison Russia imposed sanctions on 18 UK citizens including officials, historians and Russia experts accusing them of trying to demonise Russia. Moscow also claimed that the United Kingdom’s strategy in Ukraine had led to further escalation and loss of life in the war. France’s Viginum agency, which works to defend against foreign online threats, said it had discovered a “structured and coordinated” network of Russian websites designed to spread Kremlin propaganda in Europe and the US. A court in Moscow ordered the arrest of Meta spokesperson Andy Stone for two months pending trial on a number of terrorism-related counts. Meta’s main social platforms – Facebook and Instagram – were banned soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, and Meta was subsequently found guilty of “extremist activities” in Russia. Stone is not in Moscow. Weapons Ukraine’s Digital Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told the Reuters news agency that Ukraine would produce thousands of long-range drones capable of deep strikes into Russia in 2024, and already had as many as 10 companies making drones with the ability to reach Moscow and St Petersburg. Authorities in Moldova said they destroyed some 50kg of explosives discovered in part of a Russian-launched Shahed drone that crashed on its territory near the southern town of Etulia, close to the border with Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)

‘Delhi Chalo’ farmers’ protest today: Border security up, traffic advisory issued

Over 200 farmers’ unions, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, are participating in the march to demand the acceptance of their key demands from the Central government.

Texas A&M faculty in Qatar slam decision to close Middle East campus

Professors say students in the Doha campus are devastated by the Board of Regents’ sudden decision to shutter the school by 2028.

Sen Paul says Ukraine aid package would ‘tie the hands’ of future administrations

Several conservatives agree with Sen. JD Vance’s memo circulated early Monday that there’s a “hidden” clause in the national security supplemental bill that he believes could be grounds to impeach former President Donald Trump from office if elected to office later this year.  Vance sent a memo to GOP lawmakers highlighting that the bill, which would send billions of federal dollars to Ukraine, assures the delivery of funding through September 2025. Trump, however, has vowed to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of gaining office, which would also end funding. Vance’s memo claimed that the supplemental bill “represents an attempt by the foreign policy blob/deep state to stop President Trump from pursuing his desired policy, and if he does so anyways, to provide grounds to impeach him and undermine his administration,” and he urged Republicans to block its passage.  SEN. VANCE MEMO WARNS GOP COLLEAGUES OF ‘SYSTEMIC FAILURES’ IN US AID TO UKRAINE Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, said he supported Vance’s memo on Monday, arguing that Democrats are “setting up” for a possible Trump presidential win. “They’re locking in foreign aid that will even tie the hands of the next president,” Paul told Fox News Digital in an interview. “So, I think it’s a terrible idea. But also, if the next President were to try to have a different policy, you can see the Democrats again starting an impeachment.” “I think they’re going to try to impeach him before he gains office now, and that’s exactly what this is,” he said. Mark Paoletta, former Office of Management and Budget (OMB) General Counsel during the Trump Administration, told Fox News Digital in a statement that the clause in the bill text is an “effort to inappropriately tie President Trump’s hands in his next term by locking in Ukraine funding for multiple years.”  “In a presidential election year, Congress should not be making long-term funding commitments, particularly in foreign policy, that will attempt to tie the hands of the next commander in chief,” Paoletta said. “President Trump had every right to pause the Ukraine funding for about 60 days, given his concerns about corruption in Ukraine and how best to spend those funds.” He added, “As OMB General Counsel, I issued the legal justification to pause the funding, and would do it again today.” Russ Vought, a former Trump cabinet member, also agreed with Vance’s memo and said in a post on X that Vance is “absolutely right to interpret these Ukraine provisions” in this manner.  PENTAGON FINALLY RUNS OUT OF MONEY FOR UKRAINE, URGES 50 ALLIES TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING KYIV Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said the provision in the bill “is gonna force him to send money and spend money for Ukraine.” “This is in the bill,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital. “So, it’s just another situation where the Democrats are doing something and working towards making sure that money’s spent in a certain area where American taxpayers and this country don’t have.” The Trump administration, through the OMB, withheld a total of about $400 million of security assistance from Ukraine in 2019. This came just before Trump asked Ukrainian President Voldomyr Zelenskyy to investigate the family of his 2020 rival, Joe Biden, and while the White House allegedly was withholding an Oval Office visit from Zelenskyy in exchange for that investigation. These actions are what fueled the impeachment effort against Trump, in which he was ultimately acquitted.  Trump has indicated that if he is elected president this year, he would resolve the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours.”  RUSSIAN LAWMAKERS WEIGH BILL TO SEIZE PROPERTY FROM THOSE WHO CRITICIZE PUTIN’S INVASION OF UKRAINE The supplemental package, on track for final passage this week in the upper chamber, would send billions of federal dollars to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. The bill text includes $1.6 billion to finance Ukraine’s military as well as just under $14 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, set to expire on Sept. 30, 2025.  “These are the exact same accounts President Trump was impeached for pausing in December 2019,” Vance wrote in a memo distributed to GOP offices early Monday. “Every single House Republican voted against this impeachment solution.” The Senate is gearing up for the last round of procedural votes Monday night to push the supplemental package forward for a final vote this week, despite several Republicans in opposition who are avoiding a time agreement to continue filibustering. It’s unclear if the bill would pass in the GOP-led House.  A former version of this bill that included border-related provisions failed to pass in the Senate last week.  The offices of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. R-Ky., did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on Vance’s memo. Fox News’ Tyler Olson and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Biden admin hit with legal challenge over historic restrictions on offshore oil drilling

The nation’s largest fossil fuel industry association filed a legal challenge against the Biden administration over its offshore oil and gas leasing program, which includes the fewest number of lease sales in U.S. history. The American Petroleum Institute (API) filed the legal petition Monday, arguing that the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) plan restricting future offshore fossil fuel lease sales puts American consumers at risk and threatens U.S. energy security. The DOI finalized the five-year plan in December, scheduling just three Gulf of Mexico lease sales through 2029, marking the fewest number of sales ever included in such a plan. “Demand for affordable, reliable energy is only growing, yet this administration has used every tool at its disposal to restrict access to vast energy resources in federal waters,” said API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Meyers. “In issuing a five-year program with the fewest lease sales in history, the administration is limiting access in a region responsible for generating among the lowest carbon-intensive barrels in the world, putting American consumers at greater risk of relying on foreign sources for our future energy needs,” Meyers continued. DOZENS OF FORMER TOP FEDERAL OFFICIALS CALL ON CONGRESS TO STRIKE DOWN BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS CRACKDOWN Under the administration’s plan, the DOI’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will hold the three sales of parcels in the Gulf of Mexico in 2025, 2027 and 2029. It also rules out any leasing off the Alaskan coast and in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in another departure from previous plans. The DOI, meanwhile, signaled that it could have pursued an even more restrictive five-year program if not for the Inflation Reduction Act. That legislation — Democrats’ $739 billion climate and tax package signed by President Biden in 2022 — ties new offshore wind energy leases to new oil and gas leases, meaning the former could be threatened without consistent fossil fuel leasing. REPUBLICANS PROBE CCP-TIED NONPROFIT FUNNELING MONEY TO US ECO GROUPS Issuing a program with less than three sales, a possibility the DOI floated last year to the dismay of energy industry groups, may have jeopardized Biden’s plan to ensure the U.S. develops 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030. The nation currently has just two tiny pilot projects, one off the coast of Rhode Island and the other off Virginia’s coast, but the DOI has permitted several large-scale facilities since 2021 that are slated to come online in coming years. Under the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the federal government is required to issue plans every five years laying out prospective offshore oil and gas lease sales. The most recent plan, which was implemented in 2017, expired in June 2022.  The persistent delay in issuing a replacement plan, though, represented a departure from precedent set by both Republican and Democratic administrations, which have historically finalized replacements immediately after previous plans expired. The most recent two plans, both formulated under the Obama administration, included more than 10 offshore oil and gas lease sales each. And the Trump administration sought to hold a total of 47 lease sales across the Atlantic region, the Pacific region and the Gulf of Mexico and off Alaska’s coasts between 2022 and 2027, but that proposal was axed after Biden took office in 2021. “Today, we are taking action to challenge this shortsighted program so that future generations of Americans will continue to benefit from our energy advantage for decades to come,” Meyers, from API, said on Monday. The DOI declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital.

Pro-Palestinian activists respond to Israel’s Super Bowl ad

NewsFeed Pro-Palestinian activists have been sharing a video in response to an Israeli advert timed to the Super Bowl pledging to bring home captives held in Gaza. Published On 12 Feb 202412 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Mosque demolition sparks deadly protests in India

NewsFeed Indian authorities bulldozed a mosque and a religious school in Haldwani sparking deadly protests by residents who say Muslims are being targeted. Published On 12 Feb 202412 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

‘Just Like We Drew It Up’: What’s behind Joe Biden’s Super Bowl post?

It is an image that could belong to a film that is part horror, part sci-fi: US President Joe Biden standing against a murky background, bright-red laser beams emanating from his eyes, his United States flag brooch shining prominently against his lapel. Yet, it was no meme page or troll account posting that image: It was posted on Biden’s own X page early on Monday. Coming against the backdrop of Israel’s brutal war on Gaza that has killed more than 28,000 people and that the US has backed, the image prompted particular criticism of Biden by some social media users. Here is all we know about Biden’s post so far: What was the post about? Biden’s post came after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. Singer Taylor Swift – arguably the biggest name in the world of entertainment who has previously criticised former US President Donald Trump, Biden’s chief rival in the 2024 election – is dating Travis Kelce, who plays for the Chiefs. While Swift’s appearance at National Football League (NFL) games this season has helped the sport’s brand, it has also sparked conspiracy theories from sections of the far-right, which have suggested that the NFL was conspiring to set up a win for the Chiefs to create a backdrop for Swift to endorse Biden’s candidature. Though the Chiefs won, Swift is yet to declare support for any presidential candidate. That did not stop Biden from mocking the conspiracy theory with his tweet, suggesting that he had plotted the moment. Just like we drew it up. pic.twitter.com/9NBvc5nVZE — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) February 12, 2024 Biden’s tweet set off a range of reactions on X, from digital eye-rolls to responses expressing disappointment and outrage. Several users questioned whether Biden’s account was hacked. Others joked about an intern posting the image while others remarked how they thought a parody account posted the picture at first glance. Many suggested that Biden’s post was distasteful and insensitive as it came amid Israel’s devastating war on Gaza. The Biden campaign makes a Dark Branden joke on the same night that Israel kills over a hundred Palestinians in a brutal bombing campaign over Rafah. What did they mean by this? pic.twitter.com/QXvenBlFi0 — The Barracks (@thebarrackslive) February 12, 2024 While calling for an end to civilian deaths in Gaza, the Biden administration continues to sell and supply weapons to Israel. this is what the president of the united states is tweeting while over 1 million men, women and children are being slaughtered with weapons he has provided and paid for. https://t.co/Y278Per7ZT — jay (@kendallhosseini) February 12, 2024 Given the war in Gaza, the post was not “appropriate”, said Ahmed Al-Rawi, an associate professor of news, social media and public communication at Simon Fraser University in Canada. “But I don’t think Biden is thinking of the global audience here,” he said. “He is mostly thinking about his US audience.” What is the Dark Brandon meme? The alt text, or image description on Biden’s post, simply says, “dark brandon”. This is a reference to a meme that dates back to October 2021. A crowd was chanting obscenities about Joe Biden during a race at the Talladega Superspeedway race track in Alabama. While interviewing race winner Brandon Brown, NBC’s sport reporter Kelli Stavast interpreted the chants to be, “Let’s Go Brandon”, and reported them as such on live television. Since then, the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” became code for verbal abuse at Biden, lending Republican politicians new language to use against Biden online, circumventing censorship and avoiding criticism. The phrase also started showing up as song lyrics. Let’s Go Brandon!#BidenInflation is an immoral tax on low and middle income families. pic.twitter.com/0tpQN89Kos — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) October 17, 2021 The Brandon meme has since evolved and different renditions of Biden’s image with laser beams shooting out of his eyes – dubbed “Dark Brandon” – started making the rounds on the internet. Cutouts of the Dark Brandon meme even made an appearance at the venue for the third Republican presidential primary debate in November 2023. Cutouts of the ‘Dark Brandon’ internet meme are displayed across from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, the venue for the third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami, Florida, on November 8, 2023 [Mandel Ngan/AFP] Has Biden made similar posts in the past? Regardless of origin, the meme that was intended to mock and criticise Biden has repeatedly been co-opted by Democrats and Biden himself. His tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the Brandon phrase began as early as 2021 and has continued. In April 2023, Biden put on dark sunshades after making a joke about becoming the “Dark Brandon” persona during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, DC. Biden made a joke about becoming the ‘Dark Brandon’ persona during the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC on April 29, 2023 [Carolyn Kaster/AP] Biden’s campaign made its first post on Truth Social, presidential race rival Donald Trump’s conservative social media network in October 2023. With the Dark Brandon profile picture, the verified @BidenHQ account posted, “Well. Let’s see how this goes. Converts welcome!” This appropriation of memes is part of an ongoing political war, said Al-Rawi, who has researched and written about the politics of memes. “The meme in itself is a political communication tool,” he told Al Jazeera. “It is being weaponised by different parties in order to attract attention and distract from other issues.” Al-Rawi believes the Brandon meme has worked in Biden’s favour from the perspective of his supporters, who like the fact that he is taking on a political attack. On the other hand, Al-Rawi said, it could come across as insensitive in parts of the Global South. Al-Rawi also attributed Biden’s efforts to “meme-ify” political messaging to attempts to connect with younger voters. Biden’s ability to govern has come under scrutiny due to his age and issues with his memory. Biden is not the only politician who

West Virginia lawmakers push to ban smoking in cars with children

Smoking in cars with children is banned in 11 states, and lawmakers are pushing to join them in West Virginia, where more adults use cigarettes than anywhere else in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state Senate on Monday passed a bill calling for fines for anyone caught smoking or possessing a lit tobacco product in a vehicle when someone age 16 or under is present. The bill passed on 25-8 vote and now goes to the House of Delegates, where similar legislation has failed and it faces an uncertain future. WEST VIRGINIA GOV. JUSTICE SEEKS TO BLOCK BANK’S LAND AUCTION TO COLLECT ON HIS LOANS Senate Majority Leader Tom Takubo, a doctor-turned-lawmaker, made a promise long ago to a patient whose father was a heavy smoker that he would try to ban smoking in vehicles carrying children in West Virginia. Takubo has made it almost an annual effort since 2017 to introduce the legislation, but it didn’t gain traction. The Kanawha County Republican and lung doctor said the inspiration for the bill was a patient who was not a smoker but lost half of her lung function. When her father smoked, “she had to climb down to the bottom of the car and put her head underneath the seat,” Takubo said. Violators would face a misdemeanor subject to a maximum fine of $25. But it would be a secondary offense: smoking with children present cannot be the main reason a driver is pulled over. Sen. Mike Azinger, a Wood County Republican, said the state has no right to infringe on parents’ freedoms. “The arguments for the bill are essentially emotional arguments,” Azinger said. “This is a cut at the fundamental rights of parents making a decision over their children in their vehicle. This is a state going where it has no business going.”