Just six months ago, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo seemed to be riding high. After being re-elected with an increased margin of victory last year, he had corralled three-quarters of the Parliament into his ruling coalition and was preparing a wide-ranging new "omnibus law" designed to kick the economy into high gear.
The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to his ambitious plans. It has strained the under-resourced health system, forced millions of Indonesians out of work and is threatening the worst economic crunch since the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98.
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