Jakarta’s gubernatorial election will begin next year, and despite Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s already public announcement that he will contest the election as an independent, political gestures by Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), during a book launch on Wednesday night, signaled that the incumbent’s ambition of reclaiming the governorship could take a different path.

Ahok earlier revealed a plan to continue to run as an independent candidate even if he gained enough support from political parties in the future. Both NasDem and the Hanura Party have offered their support for his bid.

Megawati mentioned Ahok’s name several times during the launch of the book, Megawati in the Notes of Journalists: Tears and Joy with the People, written by 22 journalists. The book highlights the human side of Megawati’s struggle for democracy during the transitional period of post-New Order Indonesia. The discussion of Ahok ended up turning the book launch into a kind of political theater.

Megawati told the guests, mostly political figures, that she was surprised that Ahok had appeared at the event. “Ahok is here. I am surprised Ahok came here.”

Later, as she talked about various issues such as the controversial issue of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, as well as her experiences of being bullied by people and the media, she called on Ahok to “man up and have the guts”, without further elaborating on the point or logic of her statement.

The guests laughed when comedian Butet Kertaradjasa, who was the moderator of the event, said Ahok’s presence represented the submission of a son to a mother. Ahok was one of 10 people chosen by the writers to receive a copy of the book signed by Megawati.

Later in the evening, Megawati refused to ask Ahok to bid in a fund-raising event, although she pushed other political figures to donate. “If I mention that name [Ahok], I will be bullied,” Megawati said.

Heru Budi Hartono, the head of Financial and Asset Management Board (BPKAD), will be Ahok’s running mate.

Independent gubernatorial candidates in Jakarta must collect the copies of roughly 532,000 ID cards, about 6.5 percent of the city’s eligible voters. ID cards and forms must be submitted to the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) by Aug. 16 at the latest. As of last week, Teman Ahok, a grass-roots organization that supports Ahok, had collected the support of 117,373 people for Ahok and Heru.

Asked to explain Megawati’s gestures that night, Ahok said it had nothing to do with his plan to run as an independent candidate, insisting that his “good relations” with Megawati were beyond political lines. Citing past experiences when Megawati decided to pair him with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to run in a Jakarta gubernatorial election, Ahok said Megawati “has [her own] strategies that no one can understand” and therefore, she needed time to make a decision on whether or not she would support him.

Ahok said there was a 50-50 chance that Megawati would support him.

Ahok insisted that he would first collect enough ID cards before making a decision on whether or not to receive any potential support from other parties, including the PDI-P.

According to regulations from the KPUD, a coalition of political parties with 20 percent of the total amount of seats on the City Council may nominate a pair for an election. As there are 106 seats on the City Council, a party or a coalition of parties must have at least 21 seats to nominate a pair.

NasDem and Hanura, which have a total of 15 seats on the City Council, will be able to nominate a pair if they team up with the National Awakening Party (PKB), which has six seats. The PKB, however, has yet to make a decision despite PKB supporters also favoring Ahok for the election. The PDI-P, which has 28 seats on the council, is the only party that can nominate its own candidate without forming a coalition.

However, Siti Zuhro, a senior political analyst with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), predicted that the PDI-P would “pick its own party member rather than throw its support behind Ahok”.

“The PDI-P is also less likely to name someone with a track record of switching political affiliations,” Siti said on Friday.

“As for Ahok, I’d say it is better for him to continue his pledge to run as an independent candidate,” she said.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Ina Parlina

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