article_snippet.sent: Indonesia's President Joko Widodo ran on a robust anti-drug campaign, arguing that 18,000 Indonesians die from illicit drugs each year, though those figures are widely disputed.
article_snippet.sent: The widespread Australian perception is that Indonesia's President Joko Widodo owed Indonesia's President Joko Widodo power to PDI-P Chairperson and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri.
article_snippet.sent: Believed by many to be the most powerful person in the country, some suggest that Megawati insisted Indonesia's President Joko Widodo stand by Megawati hard-line anti-drugs policy and stare down Australian pressure -- or lose Australian support and reputation as a firm leader in the process.
article_snippet.sent: As recently as last year, it seemed that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott empathized with the underlying pressures and back-room obligations on leaders.
article_snippet.sent: The hard-line stance of Widodo was seen as the heartless and self-interested actions of a weak and inexperienced president attempting to establish his authority -- at the expense of rehabilitated Australian lives.
article_snippet.sent: Particularly galling for the Abbott government and Australians was Widodo's refusal to even accept a phone call from Abbott to discuss the issue, and the wall of silence and non-engagement that confronted Australian ministers attempting to plead the case with Indonesian counterparts.