Editorial

New Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Elected

2024-05-03T17:09:16+07:00

Solomon Islands lawmakers elected former Foreign Minister, Jeremiah Manele as the new prime minister on Thursday (2/5/2024). Manele won 31 votes in a closed ballot of the 49 MPs who won the general election on April 17, 2024.

In his first speech, Manele promised to govern the Solomon Islands with integrity and prioritize national interests. As quoted from japantimes.co.jp (02/05), he promised to form a "national unity government" that would focus on improving the economy and "making progress towards economic recovery" from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manale's promise in his first speech shows that his government is different from Sogavare's considered harsh and divisive government.

However, regarding foreign policy, Manele did not explain it clearly. Many people predict that Manele will adopt or continue the previous government's foreign policy. Formerly, during his five-year tenure as prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare embraced a pro-China foreign policy agenda. The Pacific island nation is known to have signed a series of security-related agreements with Beijing.

If Jeremiah Manele continues the pro-China policy, many people fear that the Solomon Islands' relations with its traditional partner countries, such as the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, will be strained. This will have consequences for bilateral ties between the Solomon Islands and these countries.

Despite continuing his pro-China policy, Manele is believed not to take an aggressive stance in relations with Western countries, including Australia, the United States, and New Zealand. As former Foreign Minister, Manele has more experience with international partners than Manasseh Sogavare. It is believed that Manale will be careful in handling his relations with Western countries.

Perhaps realizing this, the leaders of Western countries, one of which is Australia, did not show any concern about Manele's election. Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese stated he was ready to collaborate closely with the Solomon Islands.

On social media, the Australian Prime Minister looks forward to working with Manele.

It is hoped that Australia's attitude of not having to worry will be followed by other Solomon Islands traditional partner countries, including the United States and New Zealand. So, harmonious and peaceful relations in the Pacific can continue to be maintained.

International Workers' Day Commemoration

2024-05-01T17:17:28+07:00

Today, May 1, 2024, workers worldwide commemorate the Workers Day, or Labor Day. The commemoration, often called May Day, is intended to honor the struggle of workers to obtain fair rights and protection as well as decent working hours.

The date refers to the demonstration by American workers on May 1, 1886, demanding an 8-hour working day. The demonstration led to riots in Haymarket, Chicago, and left 4 workers and 7 policemen dead.

In Indonesia, International Workers' Day was celebrated for the first time on May 1, 1920. At the time, Indonesia was still under Dutch colonial rule. President Soeharto's administration then stopped the day's open celebration because it was deemed synonymous with communism. During the Reform period, Workers' Day was celebrated again regularly in many cities and carried various demands ranging from welfare to the outsourcing system elimination. In 2013, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared Workers' Day on May 1 a national holiday.

For more than a century, workers have celebrated Workers' Day, but the challenges faced by workers are increasingly diverse. If in the past the challenges were only about overlong working hours, low wages, and workplace conditions unsuitable for health, now workers are facing technology and digitalization that are taking away their jobs.

For Indonesia, its migrant workers' condition abroad is also a challenge. Practices of human trafficking and slavery haunt Indonesian migrant workers. Apart from the conditions of domestic workers, the Indonesian government should also consider the conditions of its citizens who work abroad. In this case, the government has implemented various policies, programs, and agreements with countries to provide maximum protection for migrant workers.

Hopefully, the next Indonesian government will pay greater attention to the welfare of Indonesian workers at home and abroad, because workers contribute greatly to the country's economic development.

Momentum for the Revival of Indonesian Football

2024-04-30T17:08:03+07:00

The Indonesian national U-23 football team (locally known as Garuda Muda, or "The Young Garuda") wants to fly high, hoping to qualify for the final by beating Uzbekistan in the semifinals of the U-23 Asian Cup, at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Monday night (29/4). That is not only the hope of Indonesian football fans, but also the hope of all Indonesians. However, Indonesia had to bury that hope after the Indonesian national U-23 team failed to qualify for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup final after being defeated by Uzbekistan with a score of 2-0.

Despite losing against Uzbekistan, the struggle of the Indonesian national team at the U-23 Asian Cup deserves to be appreciated. In the quarterfinal round, Indonesia defeated the South Korean team at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium last Thursday (25/4). This historic victory is because it was the first time the Garuda Muda team has excelled over South Korea in the U-23 age group.

Of course, this victory aroused the spirit of the national team and the people of Indonesia. Almost all elements of Indonesian society celebrated the euphoria of their national team's win over South Korea. This victory is encouraging because Indonesia can advance to the U-23 Asian Cup Final and qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

Indonesians enjoyed the semi-final match between the Indonesian national team and Uzbekistan on Monday night (29/4) by organizing "nobar", or joint viewing in various places and praying for the Indonesian national team to qualify for the U-23 Asian Cup final.

Football has indeed played an important role in national awakening and strengthening unity. Besides being a popular sport in Indonesia, football has also become a platform to unite people from different backgrounds and regions in Indonesia. The achievements and struggles of the national team in the U-23 Asian Cup also stirred the spirit of nationalism and pride in the Indonesian people.

The Indonesian national team lost and could not attend the U-23 Asian Cup Final. However, the spirit to rise, especially the rise of Indonesian football, must stay strong. This failure is not the end. Instead, this must be used as momentum for the awakening of Indonesian football to achieve better achievements in the future.

WEF Riyadh Participants Concern for Situation in Gaza

2024-04-29T17:10:45+07:00

Some world leaders were gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development on 28 -29 April 2024. The meeting brought around global leaders from the public sector, private sector, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, academics, and civilians. The special meeting aims to push forward an international dialog in revitalizing international collaboration, while overcoming the latest growth and development challenges. Some 1,000 world figures from 92 countries had a global dialog to find a solution that can be followed-up, collaborative, and sustainable.

In the press release of the first day's meeting, WEF President, Børge Brende affirmed the significance of a dialog in the 'important meeting', when the world is struggling with the worsening 'geopolitical recession'.

He said the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is on the agenda of WEF. With some 'important players' gathering in Riyadh, he expected a discussion towards reconciliation and peace. According to him, currently there is a momentum in the hostage negotiation and a possibility for a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Faisal Alibrahim, Saudi's Minister of Economy and Planning as the host, put emphasis on the need to solve regional issues in the Middle East, as a chance to revive global growth.

Hamas on Saturday admitted to receiving a response from the Israeli government for the latest ceasefire proposal and will study it before replying.

Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz on the same day said should the hostage agreement with Hamas be achieved, Tel Aviv would postpone the planned military operation in Rafah, South Gaza.

The global pressure for a ceasefire is getting stronger when the war enters its seventh month. The World Economic Forum also highlighted the importance of peace in the Middle East. In line with that, the negotiation process mediated by Qatar and Egypt began moving towards a ceasefire. This needed to be encouraged to avoid another assault in Gaza and more victims, which now has surpassed 34,000.

It was expected that the ceasefire in Gaza will be realized soon, aid will be transferred properly, and war will end. The security situation in the Middle East must be a priority for the world leaders so that it would not escalate with loss not only for the belligerents, but also everyone else in the world.

United States Sends Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine

2024-04-26T17:40:48+07:00

The dream of peace in Ukraine still seems far away. This is in line with the increase in the country's military strength. It turns out that the United States has secretly sent ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) long-range missiles to Ukraine.

According to US Department of State spokesperson Vedant Patel as quoted by the AFP news agency, the ATACMS long-range missile was provided to Ukraine at the direct direction of President Joe Biden.

These missiles were part of the March aid package for Ukraine, and not the one that Congress just approved and US President Joe Biden signed. Patel also emphasized that the US did not announce the delivery early on to maintain Ukraine's operational security at Kyiv's request.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the US Department of Defense confirmed that the missiles supplied to Ukraine can reach targets up to 300 kilometers away. The White House said last year that the US was sending a short-range missile variant that could travel 165 kilometers, but what Ukraine had long requested was a long-range missile.

The announcement of the ATACMS delivery came on the same day as Biden's decision to sign new aid amounting to 61 billion US dollars to Ukraine. Thus the Pentagon can send the artillery and air defense ammunition that Ukraine desperately needs.

The presence of ATACMS long-range missiles in Ukraine will almost certainly increase Kyiv's self-confidence. The question is, will these missiles be used as a means of self-defense, or instead become weapons that will be used to attack Russia?

Meanwhile, for Russia, will the presence of ATACMS in Ukraine make Moscow refrain from carrying out attacks or, on the contrary, will it become more aggressive?

The Russia-Ukraine conflict not only caused casualties and material losses on both sides but also affected geopolitics and the global economic order.

It is hoped that the leaders of the two countries will prioritize humanity rather than the ego of power in resolving the war which has lasted more than 790 days, so that the people of both countries can live in peace and calm.

Constitutional Court Verdict on the 2024 Election Dispute

2024-04-23T17:15:13+07:00

The Indonesian 2024 presidential election dispute is over after the Constitutional Court rejected all challenges from the presidential candidates with ballot number 1, Anies Bawedan and Muhaimin Iskandar, and ballot number 3, Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD. All efforts presented by the two pairs of candidates, such as evidences that corroborate non-neutrality during the general election period until voting day were rejected by the 5 judges of the Constitutional Court.

Something is interesting about the Constitutional Court's verdict regarding the election dispute this time, in which three out of the eight members of constitutional judges accepted some of the reasons for the lawsuit of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates. So, the Constitutional Court's verdict regarding the rejection of the lawsuit remains legally valid.

Previously, the Constitutional Court held a series of hearing sessions from 27 March to 5 April 2024 to hear the applicants’ request, the respondent's and related parties' answers, testimony from witnesses to experts, factual evidence, and testimonies from four ministers. The Constitutional Court also received amicus curiae, or "friends of the court", from various parties before finally announcing the verdict.

After the election dispute hearing, several presidential and vice-presidential candidates met the media, including Mahfud MD. He said he accepted everything that became the Constitutional Court's verdict. He also respected what had been outlined by the Constitutional Court in an exhausting trial during the month of Ramadan and days after Eid al-Fitr.

Meanwhile, regarding the Constitutional Court's verdict on the election dispute lawsuit, Presidential Special Staff Coordinator Ari Dwipayana said on Monday (22/4) that the Presidential Palace respects the Constitutional Court's verdict on the 2024 Presidential Election Results Dispute (PHPU) case which is the final and binding. According to Ari, the verdict debunks allegations against the government, ranging from fraud to the politicization of social assistance, as well as the assumption of state apparatus mobilization.

Finally, whatever has been decided by the Constitutional Court, as the highest institution for legal products must be accepted, respected, and obeyed.

The verdict was quite tough, but the results went through a fairly tough process and were carried out by legal and other relevant experts. Thus, the verdict is not based on likes, dislikes, or any subjective reasons.

Therefore, the 2024 election dispute lawsuit filed by Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud Md to the Constitutional Court was legally rejected. This means that the victory of Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka in the 2024 presidential election is undeniable.

US Foreign Policy in the Middle East, the Antithesis of the Spirit for Peace and Anti-Genocide

2024-04-22T17:16:27+07:00

The United States (US) on Saturday (20/4) vetoed the United Nations Security Council Resolution Draft, which demands full membership of Palestine in the UN.

Despite getting 12 votes and 2 abstains, the veto destroyed the dream of Palestine to fully join the UN.

On the same day, the United States Congress, the US parliament, ratified the draft bill on war funds for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Specifically, the US Parliament agreed to some US$26 billion to be handed over to Israel. This will only result in more dead Palestinians, thanks to Israel's attack.

As of Sunday, Palestinian Health Ministry announced that the casualties from Israel's assault in Palestine were 34,000 people.

Until now, the US was known as the world's biggest democracy. Yet this title was so different from the nation's foreign policy in the Middle East by giving war support for Israel and rejecting Palestine's full membership in the UN.

US Deputy Permanent Representative, Robert Wood said the US will keep supporting the two-state solution for the Palestine and Israel issue. But somehow, the US still vetoed Palestine's full membership in the UN. Russian Ambassador for the UN, Vassily Nebenzia said this was the fifth time the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution since conflict broke out in Gaza. In the meantime, most parts of the planet supported Palestine's plea to join the UN.

Such an obscure attitude of the UN in doing democracy is totally disappointing. It is not only bringing into the daylight a great betrayal against peace efforts in the Middle East but also convincing the world that the US is vividly supporting genocide by Israel.

Russian Missile Kills Dozens of Ukrainians

2024-04-19T18:08:16+07:00

The Russian-Ukrainian war has entered its 786th day on Friday (19/4/2024), but there are no signs of it ending soon. The conflict between the two countries is still ongoing with casualties on each side.

Last Wednesday (17/4/2024) Russia launched a missile attack on the historic city of Chernihiv in Ukraine, killing at least 18 people and leaving 77 people injured. The attack caused extreme panic.

The Chernihiv region, which borders Belarus to the north, was partially occupied by Russia at the start of the invasion. The city avoided fighting for about two years after Russian troops withdrew. However, last Wednesday's attack changed the situation.

Chernihiv acting mayor Oleksandr Lomako said dozens of buildings were damaged in the attack. Another official said dozens of vehicles, as well as medical and educational facilities, were also damaged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not only blame Russia for the attack. He also said Western countries must do more to help defend Ukraine's territory.

According to him, the Russian attack would not have occurred if Ukraine had received adequate air defense equipment and if the world's determination to fight Russian terror had been strong enough. Zelensky also repeated his call on his Western allies to increase support.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal even told the BBC there would be a "Third World War" if Ukraine lost its conflict with Russia. He urged the US Congress to pass a long-stalled foreign aid bill. Shmyhal expressed "cautious optimism' that US lawmakers would pass a bill with the $61 billion earmarked for Ukraine.

Since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine erupted, hundreds of thousands of victims have died accompanied by extraordinary material losses. Only the strong will and determination of the two countries' leaders can stop the war, because the efforts of third parties including the United Nations, have been unable to stop this protracted conflict.

All Must Prevent Escalation in the Middle East

2024-04-15T17:40:33+07:00

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of dozens of drones and missiles to Israel, around the occupied territory of Palestine on Saturday (3/4) evening. The launch was a response to Israel's attack on the Iran Consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1.

The Foreign Ministry of Iran on Sunday (14/4) stated that the attack against Israel was a reasonable right in defending themselves from Israel's assault on Iran's diplomatic facility in Damascus, Syria which killed 16. Among them were two Iranian generals, namely Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

Iran's Military Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Baqeri said Iran will not continue the operation against Israel, and stated that the military operation has ended. However, this operation made some countries in the Middle East close their airspace. Some were Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq.

Iran's attack against Israel made the world's concern over tension escalation in the Middle East. Many believed this attack was the result of the escalation in Palestine, where there is still the war between Israel and Hamas militants - which was thought to get support from Iran.

The world including Indonesia did not want this situation to worsen. Airspace shutdown was a small example of the attack's impact in the Middle East.

The conflict resolution in Palestine is the only solution to stop security escalation in the Middle East. The two-state solution, according to the United Nations' mandate, would create peace with the independence and recognition of Israel for Palestine as a nation.

It was expected that the UN, through the Security Council, would make the attack an additional reason to strengthen the importance of achieving the two-state solution in Palestine. Meanwhile, all should forbear to prevent further casualties. Because in the end, the victim is always the people.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of dozens of drones and missiles to Israel, around the occupied territory of Palestine on Saturday (3/4) evening. The launch was a response to Israel's attack on the Iran Consulate in Damascus, Syria on April 1.

The Foreign Ministry of Iran on Sunday (14/4) stated that the attack against Israel was a reasonable right in defending themselves from Israel's assault to Iran's diplomatic facility in Damascus, Syria which killed 16. Among them were two Iranian generals nameli Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brigadier General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi.

The world including Indonesia did not want this situation to worsen. Airspace shutdown was a small example of the attack's impact in the Middle East.

It was expected that the UN, through the Security Council, would make the attack as an additional reason to strengthen the importance of achieving the two-state solution in Palestine. Meanwhile, all should forbear to prevent further casualties. Because in the end, the victim is always the people.

President Joe Biden Criticizes Israel's Approach to War in Gaza

2024-04-12T16:31:07+07:00

President of the United States, Joe Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's approach to the conflict in Gaza, calling it a mistake. He also criticized Israel's handling of the conflict. According to President Joe Biden, Israel should call for a cessation of fighting to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

President Biden's statement was one of the harshest criticisms from the United States, Israel's close ally. Last week, in a phone call with PM Netanyahu, President Biden diplomatically called the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza “unacceptable.” He also demanded Israel implement specific and concrete steps in a bid to address civilian losses and ensure the safety of all humanitarian aid workers. President Biden then threatened to reassess "US policy with respect to Gaza" if PM Netanyahu failed to take immediate action to protect humanitarian aid workers and civilians. President Biden's threat came following an Israeli airstrike that killed seven staff of the World Central Kitchen aid group.

So far, all international criticism and pressure have never been heeded by Israel. However, this is not the case when it comes from its closest ally, the United States. At the moments after the telephone conversation with President Joe Biden, PM Netanyahu took several steps to try to answer at least some of President Biden's demands. He hastily convened a Cabinet meeting to approve the opening of three aid routes to Gaza.

Apart from conveying harsh criticism of Israel, the United States has also reduced its diplomatic support for Israel by abstaining from the ceasefire resolution at the UN Security Council last month, thereby allowing the resolution to pass.

It is hoped that this kind of harsh criticism from the US government will continue to be carried out to encourage changes in Israel's approach to the conflict in Gaza. The United States should take more serious steps in that direction. One way is by reducing or placing stricter conditions on US arms sales to Israel. In addition, the US could also take steps to limit military assistance. If the US dares to take this serious step, Israel may immediately change its approach to the conflict in Gaza.