A

mid the silent but engrossing backbiting taking place between elites within the ruling Democratic Party, which like it or not is affecting the running of the government, some Indonesians, at least those in Jakarta, have started to ponder a future leader who they hope will lead the country out of the current mess of political rivalry in which it is mired.

This prospective leader is Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who has so far maintained, if not increased, the speed of his work as governor. For many city government officials, their new boss simply moves too fast.

Jokowi insists his subordinates should adjust themselves to his speed of work, not the other way around. Only 122 days into office, the governor sprang yet another surprise when he replaced 20 second echelon officials, including the now former South Jakarta mayor Anas Effendi, who was subsequently named the head of the Jakarta Library and Archive Agency.

A mayoral post in Jakarta is prestigious and perceived by many as “lucrative”. Leading South Jakarta — home to plush housing complexes such as Kuningan, Pondok Indah and Kebayoran Baru where big taxpayers live — is the dream of many a civil servant working in the city administration.

For Jokowi, the reshuffle should mark an end to the dichotomy of “wet” (or lucrative) as opposed to “dry” government posts, and a return to the basic values of bureaucracy as serving the public. According to Jokowi, every post offers an opportunity to do the utmost to serve the people, contrary to the current practice of abuse of power for personal gain.

Jokowi may continue with his bureaucratic reshuffle as he wants to ensure a whopping provincial budget of nearly
Rp 50 trillion (US$5.20 billion) this year is disbursed accordingly. Taxpayers who contribute to Jakarta’s development will seek Jokowi’s accountability for the use of their money.

The modest looking governor reportedly became angry when he received a report on the embarrassing track records of candidates for the role of president director of a regionally-owned company, filed by the labor union of the firm. As a newcomer, Jokowi could potentially be duped by his subordinates who only want to please him. That is why he spends so much time on blusukan, or unannounced visits, to establish the real facts on the ground about problems facing the city.

Jokowi’s style of leadership has captivated many, including those living outside Jakarta and in his hometown of Surakarta. A recent survey confirmed this as it found Jokowi on the list of presidential candidates for the 2014 election. Jokowi’s acceptance rate eclipsed that of his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) boss Megawati Soekarnoputri and Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party founder Prabowo Subianto.

Tactful Jokowi, however, knows the presidential election is still one and a half years away, and is aware that his popularity has been given a boost merely due to broad media coverage rather than his achievements.

“Not yet, not yet,” he told journalists who asked him if he was considering joining the presidential race. No one knows, however, if that answer will stand when the election draws near next year.

While Jokowi prefers working to politicking, elites within the ruling Democratic Party are busy attending to an internal rift that may distract the party’s preparations for the legislative election slated for April next year. The infighting, although flatly denied by the elites, centers on party chairman Anas Urbaningrum, who is blamed by some of the elites for the party’s plummeting electability. Last week, the party’s chief patron President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stripped Anas of his powers temporarily until the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared him “clean” in a high-profile graft case that has already forced Yudhoyono’s close confidante, Andi Mallarangeng, to fall from grace.

In a show of loyalty, Anas finally signed an integrity pact on Thursday, just as other party executives both in the central board and regional chapters had already done upon the request of Yudhoyono and as part of the party’s commitment to anticorruption.

But the war within is not yet over, with some of the party’s elites increasing the pressure on Anas to voluntarily resign and on party leaders to hold an extraordinary congress to unseat Anas for the sake of the party’s survival, despite the fact that the KPK has not yet declared him a suspect. The KPK’s vulnerability to political pressure in the Anas case was evident when a draft document from its investigation into the Democratic Party chairman was leaked.

KPK deputy chief Adnan Pandupraja substantiated the document on Thursday but admitted he withdrew his approval of the investigation. KPK chairman Abraham Samad and deputy chairman Zulkarnaen both cleared the investigation to go ahead, but other deputies Bambang Widjojanto and Busyro Muqqodas had yet to sign the document.

While Anas’ confidence grew, his secretary-general Edhie Baskoro, who is Yudhoyono’s youngest son, surprisingly resigned from the House, citing his intention to focus on the party’s recovery.

The public is now left guessing on what surprises will follow, with Democratic Party executives regrouping for a national meeting on Sunday.

— Dwi Atmanta