Jokowi’s policy of sinking vessels that fish illegally in Indonesian waters as well as his unyielding approach towards drug convicts has drawn regional concern and consternation.

A hundred days into his presidency, the Joko Widodo (Jokowi) Administration’s no-nonsense approach towards illegal fishing within its waters as well as its uncompromising stance on drug trafficking had sparked strong reactions and debates outside Indonesia.

The deliberate orchestration of a highly public sinking of three empty Vietnamese vessels last December was unflatteringly portrayed as “shock therapy”. At the same time, not granting clemency for drug convicts currently on death row ruffled a few feathers. It also led to the recall of the Brazilian and Dutch ambassadors from their diplomatic posts. Two of the “Bali Nine” convicts from Australia are also slated to face the death penalty.

…Jonathan Chen and Emirza Adi Syailendra are respectively Associate Research Fellow and Research Analyst at the Indonesia Programme of the S. Rajaratnam of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.