Among the 45 pairs of regional head candidates that PDIP endorses is Hanindhito Himawan Pramana—the son of Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung. Hanindhito will run for regent in the local election of Kediri (East Java), which is home to the largest cigarette player in Indonesia, Gudang Garam (GGRM).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a meeting with the Chairman of PAN Zulkifli Hasan at the State Palace Jakarta on Monday (July 20). Zulkifli and his entourage arrived at the State Palace at around half past three in the afternoon. Among his entourage were key leaders of PAN, such as the Party’s Secretary General Eddy Soeparno, and the Party’s Deputy Chairman Yandri Susanto.

The ruling party PDIP and the Gerindra Party have agreed to join forces in endorsing Muhammad and his running mate Rahayu Saraswati Dhirakanya Djojohadikusumo (otherwise referred to as Saras) in the city election of Tangerang Selatan (Tangsel), Banten. Saras is the daughter of Hashim Djojohadikusumo and the niece of Prabowo Subianto, the chairman of Gerindra Party and now minister of defense. Saras will compete against Siti Nur Azizah, the daughter of Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, and the incumbent candidate from Golkar Party.

The Minister of Health Lt. Gen. (ret) dr. Terawan Agus Putranto has been sitting on the hottest seat for months. Many desire his position while others seek his dismissal. That said, the cabinet has not been changed despite the constant wave of rumors. It has given Terawan time to secure his footing.

Four pairs of the governor and vice governor candidates may compete against each other in the upcoming West Sumatera gubernatorial election. Nationalist parties have failed to unite. So, can they still end the domination of the Islamic party PKS in this province?

The Ministry of Trade is a strategic position that many desire. This is why it is often mentioned every time a cabinet reshuffle rumor surfaces. Unfortunately for Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto (PKB), his performance has been questioned. What has he been doing?

We’ve written extensively about the situation of Bank Bukopin (BBKP) and Bank Mayapada (MAYA) in two different series of articles. KB Kookmin (South Korea) almost certainly will become the new controlling shareholder of the troubled Bank Bukopin (BBKP). It would replace the Bosowa Group, a business group owned by Aksa Mahmud (the brother-in-law of former Vice President Jusuf Kalla). On the other hand, it remains unclear whether Taiwan’s Cathay Life would replace Dr Tahir as the new controlling shareholder of Bank Mayapada. The biggest question is about the political consequences that may follow if Bosowa loses Bank Bukopin to Kookmin while at the same time, Tahir manages to keep Bank Mayapada.

PT Bima Sakti Mutiara, a subsidiary of Arsari Group, a business group owned by Prabowo Subianto’s younger brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo, recently received license to export baby lobster from the Ministry of Marine & Fisheries. It’s a development that should focus people’s attention on Prabowo’s new job of leading the development of food estates in Central Kalimantan.

The appointment of Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto as the leader of food estates development has been criticized. The food estates program is also harshly criticized with members of the civil society urging the Government to cancel the project. That said, Nasdem and Golkar remain supportive.