Indonesian presidential vote highlights tradeoffs between fast growth and a healthy environment

By VICTORIA MILKO
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Tradeoffs between strong growth and a healthy environment are not dominating the headlines in the runup to the Feb. 14 presidential election in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy. But the vote is highlighting the choices to be made as the country seeks to profit from its rich reserves of nickel and other resources that are vital to the global transition away from fossil fuels. President Joko Widodo capitalized on Indonesia’s abundant nickel, coal, oil and gas reserves as he led Southeast Asia’s biggest economy through a decade of rapid growth and modernization. Voters want the men vying to succeed him to address downsides of that growth. The candidates mostly plan to keep his industrialization policies.