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Bekasi's 'Obama' runs for regent
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Three people on a motorcycle pass by a giant banner depicting the five candidate pairs running in the 2017 regent election in Bekasi on Friday. (The Jakarta Post/Nurul Fitri Ramadhani)
T
he five candidates competing in the Bekasi regent election in West Java are labeling themselves with unique abbreviations to help voters remember them more easily. The candidates have also creatively utilized the abbreviations to come up with attractive slogans.
Labor activist-turned-regent candidate Obon Tabroni and running his mate Bambang Sumaryono, for example, have come up with the abbreviation "Obama" to mimic former United States president Barack Obama.
"Obama" is an independent ticket that has been permitted to run after collecting support from 143,222 Bekasi residents, mostly workers.
"We came up with the nickname spontaneously. One of us shouted 'just call it Obama', and then we all agreed," Obon's campaign team leader Nono Mitsuba told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
"[Barack] Obama is a good figure. He was the first black president who cared a lot about all of his people without exception. We hope that Obon can be a leader like that," Nono added.
(Read also: Election watchdog partners with 25 universities to combat smear campaigns)
Incumbent candidates Neneng Hasanah Yasin-Eka Supriatmaja, meanwhile, are calling themselves “Neneng YES”.
The Iin-Farihin and Mahdfudz Al-Hafidz pairing, which is also an independent ticket, are calling themselves “IMAM”.
Another candidate pair has named itself MENARIK (interesting), an abbreviation of the names Meilina Kartika Kadir and running mate Abdul Kholik.
The five candidates are competing for 1,974,831 voters in the regency. (bbs)
