Litbang Kompas, the research division of Kompas, the largest newspaper in the country, has just released its latest survey. It found approval rating of President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo at 70.1%, improved from 69.3% in January, but still below its peak (73.9%) in January 2022. In contrast, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had an approval rating of around 50% only one year before 2014 election.

Surya Paloh, chairman of NasDem Party, initially asked everybody, including his party executives, to stay calm, not provoked by the thinking of ‘political intervention’ in the naming of Johnny G Plate as corruption suspect. Willy Aditya, executive of NasDem, however, only hours later ‘provoked’ students at Muhammadyah University Jakarta about the issue.

The Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo, a presidential candidate from the ruling party PDIP, visited Manado (North Sulawesi) on Thursday (May 18). He was accompanied by the Grand Imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar, who has lately been mentioned as his potential running mate. Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto, a presidential candidate from Gerindra Party, attended another event at the Istiqlal Mosque yesterday. A day earlier, Prabowo met with the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir, who is widely mentioned as his potential running mate.

The speculation continues regarding who will become the new Minister of Communication and Informatics (ICT) to replace Johnny G Plate, who has been named as graft suspect and detained by the Attorney General Office (AGO). Media mogul Surya Paloh, the chairman of Nasdem Party, stated that he won’t submit any name for Johnny’s replacement to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Surya Paloh, chairman of NasDem Party, responded the arrest of secretary general Johnny G Plate, who is minister of communications and informatics, in corruption case with some unnecessary statements, which could only worsen the party’s reputation ahead of next year’s election. 

Some surveys might have pointed to Prabowo Subianto as the man to beat in next year’s election. But, a vast majority of reputable polls suggested Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo is the one. A new survey from Charta Politika found that Ganjar, a presidential candidate from the ruling party PDIP, led with a significant margin above Prabowo Subianto and Anies Baswedan. Charta also found Sandiaga Uno, who has just resigned from Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, as the most potential running mate candidate.

The latest name being mentioned as a potential running mate for Ganjar Pranowo is Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar, the grand imam of the Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque. Media outlets reported that it was the Chairperson of the ruling party PDIP Megawati Soekarnoputri who was considering Nasaruddin Umar to become Ganjar’s running mate in the 2024 presidential race.

For Indonesia, getting gold medal for football in SEA Games is like winning FIFA World Cup. After 32 years of participation in the largest sporting event in Southeast Asia, Indonesia took the gold medal on Tuesday (May 16) after defeating Thailand. Everybody in the celebratory mood, including President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, who was in Medan (North Sumatra) having ‘durian party’ after watching the game at his son-in-law’s official residence as Medan Mayor.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo made a statement regarding his relationship with media mogul Surya Paloh and the future of ministers from Paloh’s Nasdem Party in the cabinet. Although it’s only a brief one, the President’s statement is still truly worth highlighting. The same day, Attorney General’s Office (AGO) said they haven’t found hard evidence to name Nasdem secretary general Johnny G Plate, who is minister of communications and informatics, as suspect in corruption case at BAKTI Kominfo.