Obama calls for 'liberal solutions' to globalisation problems
Barack Obama issued a plea for liberal solutions to the problems caused by globalisation, warning that sectarian politics could lead to chaos or violence, in a speech in Indonesia on Saturday.
The former US president warned that some countries had adopted “an aggressive kind of nationalism” and “increased resentment of minority groups” in an intervention that could be seen a commentary on the US as well as Indonesia.
...“If we don’t stand up for tolerance and moderation and respect for others, if we begin to doubt ourselves and all that we have accomplished, then much of the progress that we have made will not continue,” he said.
“What we will see is more and more people arguing against democracy, we will see more and more people who are looking to restrict freedom of the press, and we’ll see more intolerance, more tribal divisions, more ethnic divisions, and religious divisions and more violence.”
...He also spoke in direct support of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, whose own political movement has recently been rocked by the rise of intolerance in the world’s fourth most-populous country.
Widodo’s ally, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent widely known as Ahok was recently jailed while serving his term as Jakarta governor for making comments that were allegedly blasphemous to the Islamic faith.
Islamist groups had organised mass rallies to demand his imprisonment, and his sentence shocked his many liberal supporters around the country, leading analysts to question whether the stability of Indonesia’s plural democracy might be under threat from racial or religious tensions.
The former US president called Widodo “a man of quiet but firm integrity and someone who sincerely wants to do what’s right for all Indonesians,” and then made comments which a delighted crowd interpreted to be critical of how Ahok had been treated.
“My stepfather...was raised a Muslim but he respected Hindus and he respected Buddhists and he respected Christians,” he said, adding: “If you are strong in your own faith then you should not be worried about someone else’s faith.” The line earned raucous applause.
More at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/01/barack-obama-calls-for-liberal-solutions-to-globalisation-problems?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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