CNA938 Rewind - How much is Trump's revised 19% tariff a win for Indonesia?
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CNA
16 minutes ago
- CNA
Appeal for 12 Hong Kong activists concludes amid unfair trial claims
HONG KONG: An appeal hearing for 12 activists convicted of subversion under Hong Kong's national security law ended earlier than expected on Thursday (Jul 17), with two defence lawyers arguing that their clients had not received a fair trial. The appeal stems from the "47 democrats" case, named for the number of activists who were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion in 2021. 45 of the defendants were jailed last year for holding an unofficial primary election in July 2020, soon after Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in response to protests the year before. Their sentences ranged between four to 10 years. Two were acquitted, while 12 appealed the conviction on July 14. Judge Jeremy Poon said on Thursday that the judgment would be made within nine months given the case's complexity. After that, it would still be possible to seek an appeal to Hong Kong's highest court. Government prosecutor Andy Lo said on Thursday that the case involved "an unprecedented conspiracy". Erik Shum, representing former lawmakers Helena Wong and Lam Cheuk-ting, said "the court sentencing process was wrong in principle, and hence the ultimate sentence was incorrect and it should be toned down". Wong was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months while Lam was sentenced to 6 years and nine months. During the four-day hearing, two defence lawyers argued on Wednesday that the three judges who presided over the earlier trial had frequently interrupted some defendants during cross-examination. "The trial court was interventionist from very early on," said Robert Pang, a lawyer for unionist Winnie Yu. He said that the court repeatedly disallowed questions on grounds of irrelevance. Lawyer Steven Kwan said his client, activist Owen Chow did not receive a fair trial as "his evidence was disbelieved very early on". He also said the judges posed 45 per cent of all the questions put to Chow, who was later sentenced to 7 years and 9 months. Prosecutor Derek Lau said judges had the right to ask questions, noting it was not a jury trial. "There is no unfairness that can be observed, that is to the prejudice of the defender in these questions," Lau said. Prosecutors had said the defendants sought to paralyse the government and force the city's leader to resign by securing a legislative majority to indiscriminately veto budget proposals. Under Article 52 of Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, the chief executive must step down if the legislature twice rejects the government's budget. Lawyer Trevor Beel, representing activist Gwyneth Ho, said on Wednesday that legislators had a duty to use whatever legitimate means to negotiate with the government and that the Basic Law allows for a budget not to be passed. Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 with a promise of freedom and autonomy under the "one country, two systems" framework, and eventual universal suffrage under the Basic Law. If Ho wanted to achieve dual universal suffrage and an effective legislature, then it "was not radical, and this is not against the principle of one country, two systems," Beel said.
CNA
16 minutes ago
- CNA
Indonesia minister's move to declare National Culture Day on President Prabowo's birthday sparks backlash
JAKARTA: A designated National Culture Day coinciding with Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto's birthday has come under fire from senior political figures and academics. They challenged the date's cultural and historical significance amid growing concerns over the politicisation of national symbols and figures, and raised questions over perceived attempts to curry favour politically. Politicians such as House Speaker Puan Maharani have urged Culture Minister Fadli Zon to explain his decision to choose Oct 17 as the National Culture Day. 'I'm asking for a clearer explanation of the basis and reasoning behind the decision, in order to avoid ongoing public debate,' Puan said at the parliamentary complex on Tuesday (Jul 15), as quoted by CNN Indonesia. She added that she has instructed Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, which oversees cultural affairs in the country among other sectors, to look into the matter in greater detail. 'Culture belongs to all people, across generations, across eras and so on, so it must not be made exclusive,' Puan, who is also the daughter of former President Megawati Soekarnoputri, said. Puan is part of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Indonesia's largest political party, which is not part of the ruling government. Critics condemned the lack of public consultation and transparency surrounding the decision, with some accusing Fadli, who is a close ally of the president, of attempting to flatter Prabowo, local news outlet Jakarta Post reported. 'People don't seem to object to National Poetry Day (because the date makes sense),' historian Asvi Warman Adam told Jakarta Post. He added: 'But with National Culture Day, the issue is that it falls on Prabowo's birthday, raising questions whether ministers like Fadli even have the authority to issue such commemorative dates.' Fadli's decision to declare Dec 17 as the National Pantun (Poetry) Day via a separate decree on the same date last week had drawn less criticism as it coincides with the day UNESCO officially recognised pantun - a traditional Malay four-line rhyming poem - as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage, according to Jakarta Post. WHY OCT 17? In response to the criticism, Fadli defended the decision by highlighting Oct 17's historical significance. The date coincides with the day Indonesia's founding President Soekarno formally established 'Garuda Pancasila' as the national emblem and 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity)' as the national motto in 1951. Garuda Pancasila symbolises the country's identity, unity and official state ideology "Pancasila", which comprises the five core principles of the country. 'Bhinneka Tunggal Ika is not just a motto but a philosophy of life for the Indonesian people that reflects cultural richness, tolerance and unity in diversity,' Fadli said in a written statement on Monday, as quoted by local media. He said that the idea of declaring a National Cultural Day was raised by a group of artists and cultural practitioners from Yogyakarta, known as the Nine Plus Garuda Team, who had conducted a study since January this year. 'They then presented their findings to the Ministry of Culture after several rounds of in-depth discussions,' said the Gerindra Party politician, noting that the group consists of both traditional and contemporary cultural figures, reported Tempo. He added that the government aims to utilise the new National Culture Day to raise public awareness about cultural values, preserve national identity and establish Indonesian culture as a cornerstone of national development, reported Jakarta Post. 'Oct 17 is a pivotal moment in the journey of our national identity but it's not just about history, it's about preserving the future of Indonesian culture,' he said on Monday. Indonesian actor and cultural figure Butet Kartaredjasa has questioned the relevance of associating the National Culture Day with the day the country's national emblem was formalised, positing that it holds no direct cultural significance. 'The process, particularly the date selection, feels abrupt and artificial. There was no thorough review,' Butet told Jakarta Post on Tuesday. 'Even if a group of nine artists proposed it, can nine people truly represent cultural practitioners across the entire country?' He added that if having a National Culture Day was necessary, a more meaningful choice would be on Jul 5 or Jul 7, which are the opening and closing dates of Indonesia's first Culture Congress held in 1918 in Surakarta in Central Java. Historian Asri also questioned Fadli's authority to unilaterally declare a national commemoration day, highlighting that such designations have traditionally been made by the president through a presidential decree and not a ministerial one, reported Jakarta Post. The designated date has also drawn criticism from some online. 'Culture Day is designated on the birthday of his idol, what culture are we talking about?' said a netizen on X on Monday. This is not the first time Fadli has come under fire as culture minister. His ministry's initiative to revise Indonesia's official historical narrative by launching a new 10-volume series of history books to coincide with the country's 80th Independence Day celebrations on Aug 17 has drawn criticism from historians, human rights activists and politicians, as he confirmed that the books will not include the mass rapes committed during the 1998 riots. Speaking during the parliamentary hearing earlier this month, Fadli acknowledged the 1998 sexual violence but questioned the use of the term 'mass rape', which he said requires legal and historical verification. He added that the revision of the country's official historical narrative aims to promote national unity that avoids deepening ethnic and communal divisions through a positive retelling of key events. This sparked emotional reactions from PDI-P lawmakers MY Esti Wijayati and Mercy Barends. Fadli had earlier stirred controversy in June when he said that the mass rapes were 'all hearsay' and 'rumours'. Some historians say these history books will omit major human rights violations. The unrest in Indonesia in 1998 arose from economic turmoil and mounting anger at former President Suharto's authoritarian rule. Chinese-Indonesians were targeted in riots that broke out in various cities in May that year, days before Suharto resigned.
AsiaOne
an hour ago
- AsiaOne
US Senate passes aid, public broadcasting cuts in victory for Trump, Money News
WASHINGTON — The US Senate early on Thursday (July 17) approved President Donald Trump's plan for billions of dollars in cuts to funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, handing the Republican president another victory as he exerts control over Congress with little opposition. The Senate voted 51 to 48 in favour of Trump's request to cut US$9 billion (S$12 billion) in spending already approved by Congress. Most of the cuts are to programs to assist foreign countries suffering from disease, war and natural disasters, but the plan also eliminates all $1.1 billion the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was due to receive over the next two years. Trump and many of his fellow Republicans argue that spending on public broadcasting is an unnecessary expense and reject its news coverage as suffering from anti-right bias. Standalone rescissions packages have not passed in decades, with lawmakers reluctant to cede their constitutionally mandated control of spending. But Trump's Republicans, who hold narrow majorities in the Senate and House, have shown little appetite for resisting his policies since he began his second term in January. The US$9 billion at stake is extremely small in the context of the US$6.8 trillion federal budget, and represents only a tiny portion of all the funds approved by Congress that the Trump administration has held up while it has pursued sweeping cuts, many ordered by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge. As of mid-June, Trump was blocking US$425 billion in funding that had already been appropriated and previously approved by Congress, according to Democratic lawmakers tracking frozen funding. However, Trump and his supporters have promised more of the "rescission" requests to eliminate previously approved spending in what they say is an effort to pare back the federal government. The House of Representatives passed the rescissions legislation without altering Trump's request by 214 to 212 last month. Four Republicans joined 208 Democrats in voting no. But after a handful of Republican senators balked at the extent of the cuts to global health programs, Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said on Tuesday that PEPFAR, a global programme to fight HIV/AIDS launched in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush, was being exempted. The change brought the size of the package of cuts to US$9 billion from US$9.4 billion, requiring another House vote before the measure can be sent to the White House for Trump to sign into law. The rescissions must pass by Friday. Otherwise, the request would expire and the White House will be required to adhere to spending plans passed by Congress. Republican 'no' votes Two of the Senate's 53 Republicans — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — joined Democrats in voting against the legislation. "You don't need to gut the entire Corporation for Public Broadcasting," Murkowski said in a Senate speech. She said the Trump administration also had not provided assurances that battles against diseases such as malaria and polio worldwide would be maintained. Most of all, Murkowski said, Congress must assert its role in deciding how federal funds were spent. Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota called Trump's request a "small, but important step toward fiscal sanity". Democrats scoffed at that, noting that congressional Republicans earlier this month passed a massive package of tax and spending cuts that nonpartisan analysts estimated would add more than US$3 trillion to the nation's US$36.2 trillion debt. Democrats charged Republicans with giving up Congress' Constitutionally-mandated control of federal spending. "Today, Senate Republicans turn this chamber into a subservient rubber stamp for the executive, at the behest of Donald Trump," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said. "Republicans embrace the credo of cut, cut, cut now, and ask questions later," Schumer said. The cuts would overturn bipartisan spending agreements most recently passed in a full-year stopgap funding bill in March. Democrats warn a partisan cut now could make it more difficult to negotiate government funding bills that must pass with bipartisan agreement by Sept 30 to avoid a shutdown. Appropriations bills require 60 votes to move ahead in the Senate, but the rescissions package needs just 51, meaning Republicans can pass it without Democratic support. [[nid:719915]]
