The ruling party PDIP has joined forces with Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party to endorse Hidayat Lamakarate and his running mate Bhartolomeus Tandigala in the 2020 gubernatorial election of Central Sulawesi province. Hidayat-Bhartolomeus might go head-to-head against Rusdi Mastura-Ma’Mun Amir, a pair endorsed by a coalition led by Surya Paloh’s Nasdem Party, should Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s (SBY) Democratic Party fail to find a ticket for Anwar Hafid and his running mate Sigit Purnomo Said a.k.a Pasha Ungu.

The Commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto instituted another round of job rotation. This time, the rotation affects 62 military officers. Some that are worth highlighting are those at the helm of the Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) and the territorial commander in West Papua. So President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continues his consolidation of power in the military.

That celebrities and musicians can later on become politicians is not a new phenomenon. They often bring with them scores of fans. It’s only natural that political parties view celebrities and musicians as strategic recruits for votes. While Indonesia has seen its share of celebrities-turned-politicians, none has made it as far up to the presidency. Partai Solidaritas Indonesia (PSI)’s acting-chairman Giring Ganesha is trying to be the first. 

The 2020 city election of Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province, will be a chance at redemption for the families of former Vice President Jusuf Kalla and his brother-in-law Aksa Mahmud. Munafri Arifuddin a.k.a Appi, who is Aksa Mahmud’s son-in-law, secured a ticket to run for mayor in the Makassar election. But unlike back in 2018, he didn’t get the endorsement of his own political party Golkar. Instead, Appi will run in the race with the backing of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)’s Democratic Party, which forms a coalition with two other parties.

With the 2024 race in the light, the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a momentum for some to boost their profile. The concern is that such a competition would make a mess of the Government’s mitigation work.

The Government has once again increased the budget of the Defense Ministry. Some, however, question the efficiency of the Ministry’s budget given that the Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto has not yet completed any major procurement of the military’s primary weapons system (Alutsista).

The Gelora Party—a new political party established by former leaders of the opposition party PKS—has joined forces with the Gerindra Party—a political party led by Prabowo Subianto—in the 2020 West Sumatera gubernatorial election. It’s a litmus test on whether Gelora can erode the votes of PKS.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has started campaigning for the vaccination of the public. Jokowi’s administration is working closely with China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in securing access to the supply of vaccines.