The incumbent said he would combine fundraising and campaigning in one public event. “I do not want to have bands perform to entertain the masses. I just want the campaign to be like the Teman Ahok fairs, which people can join by purchasing tickets and where they can buy merchandise,” Ahok said at City Hall on Monday.

Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok) is a group of volunteer supporters who have collected around one million ID photocopies from Jakarta voters, far exceeding the number required by law for Ahok to run as an independent candidate.

Ahok suggested that a relatively modest campaign would eliminate the impression that to become a governor one had to have a lot of money.

Ahok is now considering whether to run as an independent candidate or be nominated by political parties. Three political parties, the NasDem Party, the Hanura Party and the Golkar Party, have expressed their willingness to support his gubernatorial bid.

By law, the maximum contribution for independent candidates is Rp 75 million (US$5,654) from individuals and Rp 750 million from private companies.

“We hope that our way will encourage qualified people to run in elections. In the past, many people were afraid to contest an election because they have to spend so much money to mobilize support,” Ahok said, adding that he hoped his new style of campaigning could become a national model. (bbn)

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