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Candidates seek spiritual boost at Soeharto's grave
Spirit lives on: Sixteen regional head candidates who will run in the Dec
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Spirit lives on: Sixteen regional head candidates who will run in the Dec. 9 elections nationwide pray at the family mausoleum of the late dictator Soeharto, known as Astana Giribangun, in Karanganyar, Central Java, on Saturday. Many Javanese believe in the spiritual power of formerly influential dead people.(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi) (JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
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span class="inline inline-center">Spirit lives on: Sixteen regional head candidates who will run in the Dec. 9 elections nationwide pray at the family mausoleum of the late dictator Soeharto, known as Astana Giribangun, in Karanganyar, Central Java, on Saturday. Many Javanese believe in the spiritual power of formerly influential dead people.(JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi)
Several weeks ahead of the country's first ever simultaneous elections for regional heads, 16 candidates paid a visit to the grave of former president Soeharto in Karanganyar regency, Central Java, seeking a boost for their candidacy in the upcoming elections.
The candidates, from regions across the country, including Ogan Komering Ulu in South Sumatra, Bengkalis in Riau, Cianjur and Sukabumi in West Java, Purbalingga and Magelang in Central Java, Paser in East Kalimantan and Balikpapan in West Kalimantan, arrived at the Astana Giribangun cemetery complex in Matesih district at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
An hour later, after performing an ashar prayer, the entourage proceeded to Astana Mangadeg, the graves of Mangkunegaran kings, located some 100 meters from Astana Giribangun.
Upon returning to Astana Giribangun, they gathered at the Cungkup Argosari hall where the graves of Soeharto, his wife Siti Hartinah, his parents-in-law and his elder sister-in-law are located. Led by a preacher, they recited verses from the Koran and prayed.
Magelang mayoral candidate Moch Haryanto, who led the entourage, said he and other candidates had sought a moral boost by visiting the graves of Indonesia's second president.
'We come here to pray for the spirits of General Soeharto and his family. He was once our nation's leader and we can learn many good things from him,' Haryanto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
'Hopefully if we are elected as regional heads, we will be able to implement the values taught by Pak Harto, who was pro-people, which brought prosperity to the people.'
The debate on whether Soeharto, who died aged 86 in 2008, should be seen as a villain or a hero continues until today. While many human rights and political activists say Soeharto's 32-year rule was undemocratic, other people regard him as one of the country's greatest leaders, citing his ability to maintain political and economic stability throughout much of his leadership.
Ponorogo regent candidate Misranto said that apart from praying for Soeharto's spirit, the visit also aimed to show respect for what the former president had provided.
Purbalingga regent candidate Sugeng, meanwhile, said the visit had nothing to do with the candidates' political preferences as they had been nominated by different parties.
'We happened to have the same will. We want his [Soeharto's] struggles and teachings to be examples for us,' said Sugeng, whose candidacy has been jointly endorsed by the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Hanura Party and the Democratic Party.
This year, Indonesia is planning to carry out 269 regional head elections simultaneously on Dec. 9. Since late last month, local election organizers have been coordinating open debates involving regional head candidates as part of the election process.
Meanwhile, in Surabaya, East Java, mayoral candidate Tri Rismaharini, who is seeking reelection, said in a recent debate that she had committed to continuing to develop the city by focusing on the improvement of human resources.
Risma, who was first elected mayor in 2010, rose to popularity after her success in transforming once-neglected Surabaya into a city with many high-quality public parks.
Risma's only rival, Rasiyo, has pledged to develop Surabaya starting from its suburban areas. He has criticized Risma for failing to control poverty and unemployment rates during her term in office.
'We see there are still gaps between people living in downtown and suburban areas. To deal with this, we consider it necessary to strengthen the economy of suburban communities through participatory approaches,' Rasiyo said.
With 2.1 million registered voters, the Surabaya mayoral election will be the largest election at the municipal and regency levels this year.
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