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nother pair of independents has announced that they will run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, which will for the first time in history allow the participation of candidates without support from political parties.

Former Rear Marshal Prayitno Ramelan and businessman Teddy Suratmadji claimed that they had collected almost 400,000 copies of identity cards of Jakarta residents as required by the law in order to compete in the July election. The pair have also started to discuss programs to address the problems that have long beset the capital.

“As of today [Sunday], we have collected 350,000 support forms, out of the 900,000 we distributed. I am positive that we can reach the required target as we both have wide networks,” he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

To officially register to join the election, independent candidates are required by law to gather the signatures and copies of ID cards of 4 percent of citizens, amounting to about 400,000 people.

Prayitno also said that running as an independent candidate could give him an advantage as many Jakartans today no longer trusted candidates from political parties.

“Based on a survey, Jakartans are in dire need of independent leaders, not backed by political parties. And for myself, I won’t be trapped in political maneuvering, my responsibility is to the people only,” he said.

To run in the contest, he and his running mate had also prepared some programs that would become the focus of his future work.

Apart from solving the protracted problems of Jakarta; traffic congestion and flooding, he would also focus on spiraling bureaucracy in the city administration.

“I am planning to cut the lengthy process of bureaucracy because there are many processes which are actually simple, but some officials have made complicated,” he said.

Regarding the traffic problem, he would present programs that would encourage people to turn to public transportation through an integrated public transportation system, apart from the bus rapid transit system.

After serving for 32 years in the air force, the former marshal is currently active as a specialist at the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT). He is also a blogger and the author of a book on intelligence often used as a source by the media when discussing intelligence issues.

His father, Ran Ramelan, was a famous figure in the Betawi community noted for his writings, including Macan Kemayoran and Singa Betina dari Marunda.

His running mate, Teddy Suratmadji is president director of PT Sari Arthamas, which manages Sari Pan Pacific Hotel. A graduate of Bandung Institute of Technology, he has also published several books and is currently secretary-general of the International Federation of Pencak Silat Martial Arts.

Economist Faisal Basri and Biem Benyamin have previously announced their intention to run in the Jakarta gubernatorial election as independent candidates. They have collected around 350,000 support signatures.

Former Indonesian Military Police chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Hendardji Soepandji is also expected to run as an independent candidate and is looking for candidates from political parties to serve as his deputy.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) will open the registration for election candidates in the second week of March and announce the official candidates on May 14. The election will take place on July 11.