The city election of Medan, the capital city of the province of North Sumatera, is getting more, and more interesting to watch. Many national figures have joined the campaign team of the two contenders in the race. Among them are Sandiaga Uno (the running mate of Prabowo Subianto in the 2019 presidential election), and Tifatul Sembiring (a former ICT minister under the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) administration). Will the presence of these national figures effectively help their respective candidates grab more votes?

The Ministry of Law & Human Rights has legally acknowledged the new 2020-2025 lineup of the Gerindra Party, a political party led by Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto. Many old names are still dominating the party’s lineup but there are some new figures worth highlighting.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reportedly plans to issue a new government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on regional elections amidst the pressure to delay the 2020 simultaneous regional elections. The said Perppu is expected to serve as the new legal basis to make sure the implementation of the 2020 regional elections strictly follows health protocols in light of COVID-19.

The city election of Medan, the capital city of North Sumatera province, is another regional election that is important to watch because the son-in-law of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Bobby Afif Nasution will compete against the incumbent candidate in the race. The race is heating up lately with political breakups among the supporters of both contenders.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned China’s Deputy Ambassador for Indonesia for a meeting on Sep. 13, following the latest stand-off between Indonesian authorities and China’s Coast Guard in the Natuna Sea. In the said meeting, the Foreign Affairs Ministry firmly voiced Indonesia’ rejection of China’s nine-dash line claim in the Natuna Sea. Will it affect China’s commitment to supply COVID-19 vaccine to Indonesia?

Some parties continue to criticize the appointment of Coordinating Minister for Maritime & Investment Affairs General (ret) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan for supervising COVID-19 mitigation work in nine provinces. They urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to return the supervisory authority to the Minister of Health Lt. Gen. (ret) Dr. dr. Terawan Agus Putranto.

The uncertainty due to the prolonged pandemic has led many Ministries and State institutions to propose an increase of their 2021 budget. Among the said institutions are the National Police (POLRI), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). POLRI will receive the largest budget with a total value of more than Rp111 trillion.

Saefullah, the Regional Secretary (Sekda) of the Capital City Administration of Jakarta, passed away on Wednesday (Sep. 16). In his six years of service as Sekda, Saefullah survived four governors, but unfortunately, he lost to COVID-19.  Sri Haryati has been appointed as the acting Sekda to fill in the vacant position. Let’s talk about the Sekda position.

The Minister of Health Lt. Gen. (ret) Dr. dr. Terawan Agus Putranto has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on COVID-19 vaccine procurement service under COVAX Facility with the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This is, perhaps, the first time Terawan has stepped up into the spotlight in relation to vaccine development and procurement.