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Megawati makes personal appeal to Risma
Endorsement?: Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) walks with Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini at Harmoni Park in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday
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span class="inline inline-center">Endorsement?: Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri (left) walks with Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini at Harmoni Park in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday.(Antara/M. Risyal Hidayat)
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri met Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini in East Java’s capital city on Sunday, raising speculation that the mayor was asked to compete in Jakarta’s gubernatorial election.
During the visit, Megawati was accompanied by a “full team” of the party’s elite, including its secretary-general, Hasto Kristiyanto, her son Prananda Prabowo and Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
Accompanied by her deputy mayor, Whisnu Sakti Buana, Risma showed Megawati and her entourage a new public park, Taman Harmoni, which used to be a garbage dump.
“It used to be dirty land, but it has now become beautiful and attractive,” the popular mayor told Megawati.
Without mentioning any political topics, the former president praised the popular mayor, who is also a member of the PDI-P, for building public parks in the city.
Risma has frequently rejected calls for her to contest the Jakarta election next year to challenge the incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, saying that she was just reelected as mayor of Surabaya in February this year.
Last week, a group of her fans in Jakarta, called Karisma, called on Risma to join the race, saying that her leadership was needed in the capital.
Although Risma has claimed she will not run, the possibility that she will eventually join the race remains high. Komarudin Watubun, chief of the party’s ethics council, said the mayor, as a member of the PDI-P, would not be able to refuse if the party nominated her as its candidate.
The PDI-P closed its candidate recruitment last week and 38 people have been secured for consideration. The party could still, however, drop all 38 hopefuls and instead choose a non-listed candidate at the last minute as it did with Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, then mayor of Surakarta, before he ran in Jakarta’s 2012 gubernatorial race.
Meanwhile, economist Faisal Basri, who also ran as a candidate for governor in Jakarta’s 2012 election, although as an independent, expressed on Saturday his support for the candidacy of Ahok.
“I have submitted [a copy of] my ID to Ahok because Ahok’s maneuver [to run as an independent candidate] is an important reminder for political parties. They should engage in introspection and not just do as they wish,” he said.
However, although he submitted his ID to the governor, Faisal said that Ahok had some weaknesses in leading Jakarta.
Separately, Regent Suyoto of Bojonegoro in East Java expressed his confidence that his leadership style would add variety to the existing pool of candidates ahead of Jakarta’s election next year. After conducting impromptu visits to several areas in the capital, the National Mandate Party (PAN) politician said that he aimed to hear aspirations to understand better the needs of the public.
Besides Suyoto, another candidate-for-governor hopeful and businessman, Sandiago Uno, who is a politician from the Gerindra Party, also frequently visited several areas in Jakarta. (fac)
