The Campaign Trails
Winning eastern provinces was key to Jokowi’s victory in 2014 election. So, while losing with big margin in West Java, the most populous province in Indonesia, to Prabowo, Jokowi sealed the race with decent margin nationally. Recent surveys point to tight race in West Java, Banten, and Jakarta for 2019 race, so maintaining lead in eastern part of the country will be key to win the second term.
The Debates
The General Election Commission (KPU) announced the sequence of the five (vice) presidential debates last week, but they still have not determined the date of the fifth (last) debate. The KPU is going to hold a meeting this coming December 26 to determine the moderator of the debates, and perhaps then they will also refine the details on the last debate. In the meantime, politicians from both the competing sides have promised a decisive first debate.
The Uighur Issue
The foreign press call them concentration camps, the Chinese Government call them vocational training institutions. Whatever the truth may be, the situation concerning the Uighur people in Xinjiang, China has entered Indonesia’s political discourse. On Friday (Dec. 21) last week, protests were staged in front of the Chinese Consulate in Medan and in front of the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta. The protests didn’t turn violent, but given that the people involved—Novel Bamukmin, Neno Warisman, Bachtiar Nasir—are members of the so-called 212 Alumni Group, we ought to discuss its significance.
The Campaign Trails
President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo claims ‘victory’ in getting 51% shares of PT Freeport Indonesia ahead of next year’s election, but supporters of Prabowo-Sandiaga launched series of criticism. Prabowo’s camp believes that the deal was not good enough, and, accordingly, shall be cancelled. Electoral effect of Freeport issue, of course, remains to be seen.
Ministry of Youth and Sports Graft Case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating the allegation of bribery in the issuance of grant for the National Sports Committee (KONI). Yesterday, the KPK searched the office of the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Menpora) Imam Nahrawi, and confiscated several documents.
TGB Joins Golkar
Yesterday evening, Golkar Chairman Airlangga Hartarto announced the former governor of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) TGH Muhammad Zainul Majdi a.k.a Tuan Guru Bajang (TGB) as a new member of the Golkar Party. Golkar has put TGB in charge of religious community affairs. He’s also a deputy chief of Golkar’s election team. TGB’s role in Golkar makes sense given that he is also known as a cleric with good relations in Islamic political circles. Vice President Jusuf Kalla was also present at the event held in the Dharmawangsa Hotel, South Jakarta.
The Campaign Trails
A recent survey from LSI Denny JA pointed to declining electability of Prabowo-Sandiaga to 30.6%, while Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin gained slightly to 54.2%, despite mass rally early this month to commemorating the same rally two years ago against Jokowi’s ally Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok). “Jokowi is not Ahok…The implication is different,” claimed LSI Denny JA, which conducted the survey on 5-12 December.
Prabowo’s Bag of Old Rhetorics
Hyperbole seems to be the norm in political rhetorics. In the United States, there’s President Donald Trump with his “tremendous” claims. In Indonesia, we have Prabowo with his theatrics. Most recently Prabowo told an audience that Indonesia would go extinct if he’s not elected. One can understand why Prabowo made such a claim. His main point of attack is the economic management of the incumbent. So it’s natural for Prabowo to segue to the consequences of what he sees as grave mismanagement. But claiming that extinction is imminent is rather outrageous.
Intolerance in Yogyakarta
Indonesia’s social media circles grew loud with chatters following the news that a cross marking a grave in a cemetery in Yogyakarta was disfigured by locals. Many responded in disbelief, wondering if it was a hoax. It isn’t. Media outlets had managed to reach out to the residents of the Village of Purbayan in Kotagede, Yogyakarta who confirmed that they had indeed collectively decided to cut the top of the cross marking the grave of one Albertus Slamet Sugihardi.
Baliho Vandalism Drama
In the early hours of Saturday Dec. 15, Balihos (temporary billboards) welcoming the arrival of the Democratic Party Chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) on the Sudirman Street in Riau, Pekan Baru were vandalized. Hours later, the Chairman of the Democratic Party Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono came to the site. Appearing distraught, SBY told journalists that he couldn’t understand why such a thing would happen to him. “I’m not a presidential candidate. I’m not competing against Jokowi … but this is what I get,” SBY said. So the drama began.