Reportage: Regional ‘Battle of the Spouses’ elections raise a few eyebrows

Outsiders may be forgiven for thinking that not too much serious thought for public services or the election of the best available man or woman for the job, was given in the elections in Kediri, East Java, and Bone Bolango in Gorontalo province.

These cases are only a few in the widespread picture of family members supporting or competing against each other.

Ruaida Mile, first wife of the incumbent Bone Bolango regent Ismet Mile, competed with her husband and other four rivals to win the regent election on May 5.

With support from 20 minority parties, Ruaida’s campaign attracted those who saw her as the wronged, dignified wife whose husband spent more time with his second wife Yayuk Alamri.

However she also alleged that Ismet and Yayuk were not officially married, while Yayuk insisted they married in 2003.

Ruaida, the Surya daily reported, urged women to stay solid and support each other, “instead of ruining other women’s households”.

Ruaida urged the local polling body, the election supervisory committee and the police to disqualify her husband who she accused of using his second spouse to buy votes in several districts only hours before the polls opened.

Local polling body chairperson Femmy Kristina Udaki said the case would be investigated by the police, and if Yayuk was found guilty of distributing cash to voters, Ismet’s results could be annulled.

The polling body has confiscated a car with cash inside, allegedly used by Ismet’s campaign team to launch “the dawn attack”, describing visits to the homes of potential voters, luring them with cash at dawn on voting day.

Ismet and Ruaida were two of six tickets competing in the regency election in Bone Bolango. Perhaps fortunately for the family saga, the contenders on the independent ticket finally won the election.

Responding to criticism that Ruaida had available to her facilities and networks as the wife of the incumbent regent, Ismet, supported by the Golkar Party, said he had no authority to bar his wife from contending the election, citing her legal right and political support from a coalition of 20 minority parties.

He admitted that he and his wife has not been on good terms for a long time “but many couples in the world have experienced disharmony and this reality does not dismiss their political rights. My wife and I contend the election to exercise our political rights and it depends on the people to decide on whether we are eligible to govern or not”.

In Kediri, Laju Haryanti, first wife of outgoing regent Sutrisno, outclassed her husband’s second wife, Nurlaila, and two other rivals in the recent local election.

Nurlaila, a popular local village head, insisted that she and Laju were not married, showing documents that she is a widow.

She and her running mate, Maskuri, who were nominated by a coalition of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, and six other small parties, won 54.58 percent of a total 743,159 votes.

The defeated, Nurlaila still drew sympathy from the electorate because of her claims that she financed her candidacy and campaign herself; while Haryanti had full financial support and facilities from her husband and the local bureaucracy, reports said.

KPU chairman Hafiz Anshary defended the participation of incumbents’ spouses in local elections, but conceded it was not good for democracy.

“KPU cannot prevent them from running in the elections as long as they meet all administrative and legal requirements,” he said.

Arbi Sanit, a noted political analyst, blamed “the morality crisis” that has rocked the government and bureaucracy.

“We have to promote gender equality in politics; but in this case, it is unethical when local first ladies contend local elections,” he said.

He added that local elites have misconceived the notion of regional autonomy, and that the government and the KPU should play an active role in better developing democracy in the regions.