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Jokowi cancels Australian visit after violent rally
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Bilateral talks: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (third right) attends a breakfast meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (second left) on the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN summits in Vientiane, Laos, on Sept. 8. Both leaders were flanked by top officials from their country. (Courtesy of Presidential Office/Laily Rachev)
F
ollowing a violent rally in front of the State Palace on Friday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has postponed his visit to Australia, which was initially scheduled for Nov. 6 to 8.
The President’s planned visit was expected to strengthen economic and maritime cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry said the President had called Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to inform him of the sudden postponement.
“Current developments require the President to stay in Indonesia,” the ministry said in the statement, without detailing whether the visit had been rescheduled.
The President’s trip was planned as a reciprocal visit, after Turnbull visited Indonesia last November.
On Friday, around 100,000 people from various Muslim organizations swarmed Jakarta’s streets to demand the criminal prosecution of gubernatorial candidate and incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.
Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent in the Muslim-majority country, sparked uproar among Islamic groups with a comment on a verse in the Quran during a visit to Thousand Islands regency in late September.
Ahok was Jokowi’s deputy when the latter served as Jakarta governor between 2012 and 2014. He later replaced Jokowi after the latter won the presidential election.
The rally, which initially ran peacefully, turned to chaos on Friday evening when some protesters refused to disperse although the agreed time for the rally had ended. (hwa)
