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Tensions simmer as campaign season for regional races begins
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East Java gubernatorial candidate pairs Luluk Nur Hamidah and running mate Lukmanul Hakim (left); Khofifah Indar Parawansa and running mate Emil Dardak (center); and Tri Rismaharini and running mate Zahrul Azhar Asumta show their ballot numbers on Sept. 23, 2024, at the General Elections Commission (KPU) East Java office in Surabaya. (Antara/Moch Asim)
As the official campaign period for the regional head elections commenced on Wednesday, tensions between competing factions were apparent, with outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the center of much of the contention.
Across the country, candidates hit the campaign trail on Wednesday, two months before Indonesians vote for their governors, mayors and regents in the first-ever nationwide simultaneous local elections.
In North Sumatra on Monday, strongly backed gubernatorial candidate Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution and former governor Edy Rahmayadi exchanged barbs during a ballot number drawing event at the provincial office of the General Elections Commission (KPU).
Bobby, Jokowi’s son-in-law, said he was glad to have drawn ballot number 1 since number 2 “reminded” him of the Rp 2.7 trillion (US$178.5 million) budget for a road construction project in the province that had failed to be completed under Edy’s leadership.
“Choose a leader by looking at their performance, at their results,” Bobby said.
Responding to Bobby’s veiled jab, Edy said the blame lay squarely with the outgoing President as the road project had been managed by the central government, adding that the reason he was seeking reelection was to ensure such projects were completed.
“The infrastructure [project] mentioned by Bobby earlier is located on the borders [of the province]; it is a national road. That’s Jokowi’s unfinished road, that’s Mulyono’s,” Edy said.
