face/Off

Resya Wulanningsih
Architecture Department,
Bandung Institute of Technology

In my opinion, independent candidates are eligible to run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012. Why not, if they are individuals who deserve to lead and have the competence to govern the city?

Independent candidates are usually public figures. Although they’re not supported by political parties, it doesn’t mean that they will lack support. These candidates are usually people who are actively involved in various organizations and community activities, but do not choose to join a political party. In any case, not all Indonesians are members of a political party.

 Political parties are only one kind of power tool; there is no guarantee that the candidates they support are
better or smarter in leading, controlling, and fixing the city’s systems.

The most important thing is the individual; how smart he or she is in identifying a problem and coming up with the most appropriate solution for it; how much charisma he or she has as a leader to get close to the people and to be able to cooperate with the ruling government.

 A leader is a representative of the people, rather than a king. They should give priority to the interests of the people and not the interests of certain groups. If an independent candidate was elected in the next gubernatorial election, it would raise the question of whether there was still a need for political parties, as this would mean that the largest popular vote was not for political parties anymore.

Satria Arindra
Department of Information Systems,
Gunadharma University

In the upcoming gubernatorial election, we should be able to choose someone who’s responsible and someone who puts the common interest above personal, or a specific group’s, interests. We expect a decent person for the position.

In my opinion, it’s fine if an independent candidate runs for governor. An independent candidate may even be better because he or she would not be seeking an opportunity to fund party activities.

Nevertheless, it would be more difficult for an independent candidate to find support for his or her campaign. It’s different from the candidates who are supported by political parties; they will easily get the support they need because they can form coalitions with other parties.

Still, I think anyone running for governor would have prepared the fund for his or her campaign, whether it comes from personal funding or from his or her partners. Indeed, in order to garner votes, one needs funding.
But what is also important is strategy. Take a celebrity for example, who is already famous among the public.
He can use both his fame to gain votes and his extensive social networks.

It is everyone’s hope that we have a leader who is the best and who understands what the community needs.

Jakarta is gearing up for the upcoming gubernatorial election, slated for July 2012. And the election hype is starting to catch on as a number of candidates have recently announced their bids for the race. Many of them are supported by political parties, but several independent candidates are trying to beat the odds and
win the hearts of Jakartans to grab the top position in the capital’s administration. Critics, including incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo, say independent candidates will have a hard time in the 2012 election without the support of political parties, adding that a governor will have to strike deals with political parties to meet his or her objectives. Others place their hope in having a governor that puts the welfare of Jakarta’s residents above his or her party’s interests. Do you think Jakarta should welcome independent gubernatorial candidates? Or will such candidates be lacking the necessary force and support when it is time for them to run the administration?