The two most densely populated islands of Java and Bali have always been in the crosshairs of a presidential campaign strategy. Yet, both islands are currently witnessing a political tug-of-war in voter preferences. On Bali, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) is engraved in the people’s minds, having won the majority of local votes in the last two elections, including Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s victory in 2014 with at least 71 percent of all Balinese vote. Recent polls by the Centre of Strategic International Studies (CSIS), Kompas and Charta Politika have also put Jokowi in the lead at 64 percent in Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, and West Nusa Tenggara. Political expert I Nyoman Subanda of Bali Education University explained that Jokowi’s decision to disband the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) hardline g...