(JP)

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama

 
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama set a nearly impossible mission for his volunteers, Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), who wanted him to run as an independent candidate in the Feb. 15, 2017 gubernatorial election. He demanded that they get 1 million people to pledge support for his candidacy. Each supporter was required to attach a copy of their indentity card (KTP). Ahok needed at least 750,000 pledges according to electoral regulations.

The group announced in June that it had got more than 1 million voters. Learning from his experience as deputy governor from 2012 until 2014, and then as governor until now, Ahok, however, realized that he needed the support of political parties in the City Council. His volunteers gave him full freedom to make that decision. Four political parties have now pledged their support.

Ahok became governor in 2014 after the victory of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the presidential election.

The controversial Ahok, who was born in Manggar, East Belitung on June 29, 1966, has often been in the spotlight as a result of his straightforward and outspoken style. He has also been widely praised for his achievements in providing better public services, including health and education, and maintaining public order, which have been acknowledged by both friends and enemies.

Ahok, despite his double-minority status as a Christian Chinese-Indonesian in Muslim-majority Jakarta, has topped nearly all opinion polls for the election so far.

Ahok earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Trisakti University, Jakarta, majoring in geology in 1990. Subsequently, he received a Master’s Degree from Prasetiya Mulya University in 1994.

Ahok started his career in politics as a member of the regional legislative council in East Belitung regency in Bangka Belitung province. He then became regent of East Belitung from 2005 to 2006.

In 2009, he was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Golkar. He resigned from the House to become Jokowi’s running mate in the 2012 gubernatorial election, running as a member of Gerindra.

Ahok is married to Veronica Tan and the couple have three children, Nicholas Sean, Nathania and Daud Albeenner.

Djarot Saiful Hidayat

 Djarot Saiful Hidayat, the Jakarta deputy governor, will be Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s running mate in the gubernatorial election.

 Djarot was mayor of Blitar, East Java, for two periods from 2000 to 2005 and from 2005 to 2010, during which time he successfully managed the issue of 1,000 street vendors who were operating on the city’s main streets.  He was known to have strongly opposed the construction of supermarkets and minimarkets. He preferred to organize the street vendors as he believed they could help boost the city’s economy.

Under his leadership, Blitar was awarded the Adipura environmental award for clean and green cities three times in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Djarot became Ahok’s deputy in December 2014.

Djarot studied administrative sciences at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java. He got a Master’s Degree in Political Science in 1991 from Gadjah Mada University, Jakarta.

He is married with three daughters.

Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono

 Agus was born in Bandung, West Java, on Aug. 10, 1978. He is the eldest son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

He graduated from the National Military Academy in 2000 and earned a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore in 2006. In 2010, he graduated from the John Kennedy School of Government with another Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management from Webster University in 2015.

In 2006, when a war raged between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, Agus, who was serving in a mechanized infantry battalion, was deployed to the conflict zone as part of the Garuda XXIII-A contingent. Agus was promoted to commandant of an airborne infantry battalion in 2007.

In 2005 he married model Annisa Larasati Pohan. They have one daughter.

Sylviana Murni

Sylviana Murni was born in Jakarta on Oct. 11, 1958. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Administrative Law from Jayabaya University, and has a Master’s Degree in Population Management from the University of Indonesia (UI). She earned a Doctorate in Education from the Jakarta State University in 2005.

She started work with the Jakarta administration in 1985. The positions she has held include head of the Jakarta Population and Civil Registry from 2001 to 2004 and mayor of Central Jakarta from 2008 to 2013.

Her current position is assistant to the governor on tourism and culture. She is married to H Gde Sardjana and they have two children.

Anies Baswedan

When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo dismissed Anies Baswedan as culture and education minister in July, just 20 months after being appointed, there was speculation that the latter’s ambition to contest the 2019 presidential election had bothered the President.

The soft-spoken scholar helped Jokowi during the 2014 presidential election campaign and it was no surprise when he got the Cabinet position.

Anies earned his PhD in Political Science from Northern Illinois University in 2005, his Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland and his Business Management degree from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta.

Anies’ most notable innovation is the Gerakan Indonesia Mengajar, or Teaching Indonesia Movement, a program that gathers young people to contribute to the nation’s education. Through this initiative, he has recruited, trained and sent 16,000 young volunteer graduates to teach in remote regions across the archipelago.

Anies was born on May 7, 1969, in Kuningan, West Java, he is married to Ferry Farhati Ganis and they have four children.

Sandiaga Uno

Sandiaga Uno was born in Rumbai, Pekanbaru, on June 28, 1969, where his father, Razif H. Uno, was working for an oil company.

He is better known as a businessman rather than a politician and is thought to be one of the country’s richest men.

In 1997, he co-founded PT Recapital Advisors with his high school friend, Rosan Perkasa Roeslani and a year later he co-founded Saratoga Capital with Edwin Soeryadjaya.

Sandiaga Graduated from Wichita State University in the US in 1990 and earned a Master’s of Business Administration from George Washington University two years later.

Sandiaga is married to Nur Asia and they have two daughters and one son. (fac/win)

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