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Jokowi accused of meddling in city election
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center), along with State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno (left) and Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, inspects the progress of the light rail transit (LRT) project on Sep. 30 in Jakarta. (Antara/Widodo S. Jusuf)
T
here is nothing political about a president inspecting infrastructure projects in the capital city or tweeting a photo of himself and the city governor who has been tasked with completing the projects.
Unless the president is Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, a former Jakarta governor, and the governor is Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, his former deputy, who is seeking to extend his term in the 2017 election.
The President’s visit to the sites of the city’s major infrastructure projects — the mass rapid transit (MRT) and the light rapid transit (LRT) networks — last Friday has set off a storm of criticism from the incumbent’s rivals in the gubernatorial race.
Jokowi and Ahok, who became close allies when they ran together in the 2012 Jakarta election, were seen reliving their old days when they visited the MRT site in Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta, and the LRT site in Cibubur, East Jakarta.
The President came with State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, but she was a third wheel during the inspection.
Only Jokowi and Ahok entered a 35-meter-deep tunnel to check the process of the MRT project, one of Jokowi’s landmark endeavours while serving as governor. Ahok was also in Jokowi’s car when they left the LRT site to go to the MRT site, while Rini was in her own official car.
Media reports said a presidential security guard had to ask Rini to leave Jokowi and Ahok alone when the two were inspecting the LRT project in Cibubur.
The President also uploaded pictures onto Twitter of himself and Ahok walking through the MRT tunnel.
Syarif, a Gerindra Party member and the campaign team secretary for Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno, said the President’s gestures sent the wrong message to Ahok’s opponents.
“Ahok is no longer Jokowi’s deputy. The President should have known that the regional election is coming and he needs to maintain his neutrality,” Syarif told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.
Jokowi has made it clear that he will remain neutral in the election following rumors that he was trying to block the nomination of Anies by sending State Secretary Pratikno to meet with Prabowo Subianto at his residence in Kertanegara in South Jakarta.
Pratikno and a number of Gerindra officials have dismissed the rumors as groundless.
But analysts said it was only natural for Jokowi to back Ahok in the gubernatorial race.
All the theatrics could be interpreted as Jokowi’s way of showing his support for Ahok, said political researcher J. Kristiadi from think tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“Jokowi seems to entrust Ahok to lead and develop the city. Also, it can be a great asset for Jokowi because it shows that Jakarta can be better under Ahok when Jokowi is the President,” he added. “There is no such thing as coincidence in politics and it is a common practice.”
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive Hendrawan Supratikno said there was nothing wrong with Jokowi and Ahok showing they were amiable, as they were close friends.
“They’re soulmates,” Hendrawan said. “But if they want to talk about the election, it won’t be in a public space, but in private places, like a house or the State Palace, while eating martabak (sweet pancakes) and wedang jahe (a ginger drink).”
