Roundup: Indonesian president gets both approval and criticism in first 100 days in office

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has received both approval and criticism for his policies applied to run his government in the first 100 days in office, a political parameter that has been used in Indonesia to assess the new president's performance.

President Widodo, who was sworn in on Oct. 20, 2014, has been praised for having implemented bold measures to promote reform in bureaucracy and for his determination to fulfill part of his promises made in the campaign period prior to the July 9 presidential election.

Among his policies approved by the public are initiatives to set up one window policy to facilitate foreign investors planning to invest in the country and his willingness to protect and develop the nation's maritime sector.

"In the fishery and maritime policy, the current government deserves an appreciation particularly on firm measure against perpetrators of illegal fishing in Indonesian waters," Arsul Sani, a legislator from the United Development Party (PPP), said on Tuesday, adding that it is a good start and needs long term of period to attain good results.

Indonesia bombed several vessels used in illegal fishing activities in the Indonesian territory late last year in a move to warn those intending to steal fishes from the nation's waters which may cost 240 trillion rupiah (about 19.1 billion U.S. dollars) annually to the state.

The fishery and maritime ministry has also implemented several regulations aimed at improving production in the sector on the sustainable basis. This policy is integrated with the president's ambitious aim to improve sea connection in the maritime resource- rich eastern region.

However, President Widodo has been widely criticized for his shortcomings in the legal sector. "In the first 100 days, the president has yet to demonstrate good capability in the legal sector, particularly in reviewing the legal codes," Legislator from Commission III for legal affairs Nasir Jamil said on Tuesday.

The ongoing dispute between the nation's two legal institutions, Police and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), is a result of the president's shortcoming, he cited as an example.

The dispute between the two sectors was incited by the president's appointment of Budi Gunawan, a senior police officer who was declared a suspect in graft cases, to assume the police chief post.

Budi Gunawan was a former close aide to Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairperson of the political party where President Widodo adheres to, when she served as the nation's president from 2001 to 2004.

The dispute was prolonged with the arrest against a KPK senior official by the police under the charge of initiating false oath in a case that had been closed by the state court several years ago.

President Widodo is also slammed by public figures who are questioning his anti-corruption commitment due to his unsatisfying response to the hostile situation between the nation's top legal institutions.

The president finally set up a special team joined by legal and social experts to address the dispute between KPK and the police.

The team's chairman said the president was unable to escape the pressures from political parties which supported him in the presidential elelction, adding that it made the president slow to respond to the issue.

"He has to move faster because it (the conflict) has developed into a critical situation. He must prioritize people's interests," Syafii Maarif, former chairman of Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, said on Wednesday.

He added that should the president have done so, he would have be backed by the public who supported him in the presidential election.

Under the constitution, President Joko Widodo is serving as the seventh president of the nation until 2019. Endi