widodo

Indonesian President Joko Widodo Wednesday named his election arch-rival — a former general accused of abuses — as defence minister, a move which dismayed human rights activists.

Widodo unveiled his new cabinet at an informal presentation with more than three dozen new ministers in eye-catching batik shirts sat in front of the imposing neoclassical columns of the Merdeka Palace.

Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, beat Prabowo Subianto in April elections to secure another term as president of the world’s third-biggest democracy.

His victory followed a bitter campaign plagued by mudslinging, fake news online and claims from Subianto that the government …