JAKARTA-Standing on a stage in the Hotel Bidakara´s ballroom in downtown Jakarta during a presidential debate, Indonesia´s incumbent leader, Joko Widodo, meekly defended what has been, at best, a checkered record on human rights. Widodo, popularly known simply as Jokowi, denied having overseen any rights violations; he pledged, as he did four years ago when he first ran for the presidency, to reshape the justice system; and he promised, as he had four years ago, to push for land reform. And, in the course of the 73-minute back-and-forth on Thursday evening-the first of five such debates ahead of elections in April-he showed how little has really changed here during his time in office. When...
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