Indonesia Turns Right

Indonesia’s new president has a gruesome track record of human rights violations and hostility to democracy. But a slick campaign successfully presented him as a harmless grandpa.

(Kemal Jufri / AFP / Getty Images)

After a decade-spanning quest for power, Prabowo Subianto has finally won Indonesia’s presidency. While his social media team presents him as a cuddly, cat-loving grandpa — gemoy in Indonesian slang — the résumé of this self-described fascist includes coup attempts, ties to the criminal underworld, and accusations of human rights violations ranging from kidnapping to genocide. During his twenty-eight-year […]

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