And could someone explain why we are paying Indonesia millions in subsidies.
Some 156 m a year last I checked

I magining that this and neighbouring countries are democratic is naive in the extreme

156 million works out at $6.78 from every Australian. 1.2 million per day to New Guinea works out at well....(since 1975)
How much are our Governments handing out altogether I wonder. The Indonesian contribution appears to be just pocket money in comparison.

Indonesia is Australia's enemy. Has been ever since Soekarno was in cahoots with the Japs in 1942. Has been ever since Kopassus has ruled it and enjoyed impunity for its crimes.

Indonesia is Australia's enemy.
Emperor Julian,
Indonesia is not as great an enemy of Australia as much Australians are to Australia, not by a long shot.

The Indonesian Election fracas is vastly more important for Australia than:

- Abbott's new mission in life: War on Russia, and

- the rape of Gaza by Israel's SS Netanyahu Division.

Yet the Indonesian Satay is about to hit the fan.

If the Fuhrer van Jawa, Herr Prabowo Subianto, seeks Lebensraum (Living space) surely Australia can give him Manus Island, Nauru and all the refugees for free.

Maybe "General" Sukarno's daughter, Megawati Sukarnoputri, can become President again while she shops?

Pete

The vote results have been announced yesterday night, Joko Widodo wins with 53.15% of the votes.

That a former furniture salesman born into poverty can be elected as president despite massive smear campaign from the heavily-moneyed Prabowo camp is a sign of maturing and entrenched democracy in Indonesia.

The losing side, Prabowo, is acting like a sore loser and is behaving rather erratically and in confusion by withdrawing from the election in the last minute. He'll try to figure out what to do next with his brother's trillions of dollars in wealth, but I think he's a goner.

Just look that his attempts to bully the KPU (election commission) and manipulate public opinion during the vote-counting period was rejected by the well-educated public and all responsible govt agencies (thanks to positive influence of President Yudhoyono). Now that Widodo's election is official, there is little Prabowo can do. He commands little support from the military, having been out since 1998 and having collected as much enemies as allies during his military days. He could appeal to the Constitutional Court but his ability to do so is under question since he stated that he has withdrawn from the electoral process.

The lesson is that in Indonesia, you cannot buy-off the people, and public opinion will negate all attempts to subvert the free and fair democratic electoral process.