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Ganjar slammed for 'blusukan' overreach in Jakarta
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Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo steps out of a bus in 2020. (Antara/Ant)
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fter trying to convey the grievances of market sellers in Jakarta during his blusukan (impromptu visit) over the weekend to city officials, Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo has been accused of overstepping his authority.
As the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) presumptive presidential candidate, Ganjar has been in the capital since last week to attend a PDI-P grand rally in the Gelora Bung Karno stadium. On the sidelines of the party event, Ganjar visited several traditional markets in North Jakarta, where sellers complained of high fees, among other grievances.
Trying to act as a middleman, Ganjar proceeded to immediately contact interim Jakarta governor Heru Budi Hartono before later settling for Jakarta regional secretary Joko Agus. “I’m in the Anyar Bahari market right now, and the [sellers] are asking if the high fees can be lowered,” Ganjar said in a phone call to Joko on Saturday.
Following in the footsteps of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a fellow PDI-P member who first popularized this style of blusukan, Ganjar has regularly dropped by traditional markets in Central Java during his time as governor. But his decision to try and do the same in Jakarta, despite having no authority in the capital, has sparked criticism.
Social media has been awash with disapproval over Ganjar’s perceived meddling, including trying to issue directives to Heru, an acting governor who has equal status with Ganjar. Some people have also pointed out that as Ganjar tours the capital, a number of villages in Central Java are still inundated by floods.
While President Jokowi and Heru declined to comment on Ganjar’s actions, with Heru saying on Monday that he did not have much contact with Ganjar, Jakarta city council member Muhammad Taufik Zoelkifli did not mince words over Ganjar’s apparent overreach.
“As a council member, I’m offended as Ganjar has no authority over Jakarta. [...] The city council is the one with the authority, so what right does he have? He’s not being paid for this,” Taufik said on Monday, Tribunnews.com reported. Taufik is a member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), an opposition party that has often traded blows with the ruling PDI-P.
