The mayor said he would come to Jakarta every Saturday and Sunday to drum up the support of voters who were from Surakarta.

“It’s a party assignment, so I have to implement it. Fortunately, many residents of Surakarta and its surrounding areas currently hold a Jakarta resident identity card,” said Rudy, on Tuesday, referring to his party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Rudy’s participation in the runoff election campaign is based on an instruction from PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. All regional members are requested to depart for Jakarta to support Ahok-Djarot, he said.

Rudy said he personally would cover all Surakarta-Jakarta transportation expenses, insisting that he would not take a penny from the Surakarta regional budget (APBD) to support his activities. 

“No APBD funds will be used. As a party officer, I’m ready to campaign for the election of the Ahok-Djarot pair as the Jakarta governor and deputy governor,” he said.

Rudy said his campaign activities would run from March 18 until polling day scheduled for April 19. During the campaign, he would not take leave. “I guarantee this campaign will not disrupt my tasks as mayor because it will be conducted only on weekends,” he said, claiming he had special strategies to get Ahok-Djarot elected. (ebf)