Jakarta. The constellation of parties competing in next month’s legislative election appears to run the gamut of the political spectrum, from nationalist to populist to Islamic conservative. But dig a little deeper beneath the labels, analysts say, and the truth is that there is very little to distinguish any of the 12 parties vying for votes.
Malang, East Java. Indonesia’s controversial Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali was reported to the police for allegedly stumping for the United Development Party (PPP) during an official visit to an Islamic boarding school in Malang — a violation of the country’s election regulations barring the use of religious institutions in political campaigns.
Jakarta. Prabowo Subianto, a former general turned presidential candidate, is raising his own herd of cattle as he seeks to woo Indonesia’s farmers with a promise to make them the centerpiece of a push to revitalize the economy.
Anticorruption activists have expressed their concerns over speculation that Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad will be a vice presidential candidacy in the July 9 presidential race, saying the development could disturb the antigraft body’s impartiality.
Speculation intensified after Abraham made a statement suggesting he did not reject being paired with one of the presidential candidates.
Any candidate selected in the 2014 presidential election, including Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo who is widely considered honest, clean and transparent, will face great challenges in eradicating corruption, says a clean governance expert.
Gerindra Party presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto said in a campaign rally at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Central Jakarta on Sunday that Indonesia must become a nation that was able to meet the needs of its people without depending on imports.
“The Indonesian people have vast agricultural areas, but we still have to import cassava, corn, garlic and papaya from other countries. Under the leadership of Gerindra, Indonesia must become a producer, instead of consumer,” said Prabowo, who is also the party’s chief patron, as quoted by Antara news agency.
Hundreds of university professors say former vice president Jusuf Kalla, a Golkar Party politician, is the most qualified candidate in the upcoming presidential election, more so than other contenders such as Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and former Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Mahfud MD, a survey has revealed.
The Indigenous People’s Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) has called for the immediate ratification of the indigenous people’s rights acknowledgment and protection bill, so the well-being and sustainable livelihoods of indigenous people can be protected.
“We urge the Indonesian government to immediately implement the Constitutional Court and House of Representatives’ decisions to pass a bill on the acknowledgment and protection of indigenous people’s rights,” AMAN secretary-general Abdon Nababan said in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The Gerindra Party will announce the running mate of its presidential candidate, Prabowo Subianto, after the legislative election, which is set to take place on April 9, a party official has said.
“We will wait until after April 9 to announce our candidate because we want to see the results of the election first,” said Gerindra chairman Suhardi on Sunday.
He was speaking on the sidelines of a campaign rally at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, as quoted by Antara news agency.
An official with the General Elections Commission (KPU) has said that with the deadline approaching, it is still short 1.6 million ballots.
“We only have three days prior to our deadline of March 25 to print those ballots,” said KPU commissioner Arief Budiman during a KPU event in Bangkalan regency, East Java as quoted by Antara news portal on Saturday.
But then he acknowledged that it would only need a day or two to finish printing the remaining ballots. The KPU has allocated 750 million ballots for the upcoming general election.
Banda Aceh. Two National Aceh Party (PNA) members were critically injured and a member of the Aceh Party (PA) was hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries in related incidents on Friday.
Aceh Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Gustav Leo said on Saturday that PA member Ahmad Syuib, 28, was shot on Jalan Banda Aceh Medan at Ulee Reuleueng village, North Aceh district on Friday night.
“He was shot in the ribs when he was on his way home [with other party members] in a convoy of cars after attending the Aceh Party’s campaign event,” Gustav said.
Jakarta. A legal challenge by lawyer and Crescent Star Party (PBB) head Yusril Ihza Mahendra that threatened to turn Indonesia’s presidential election on its head was rejected on Thursday by the country’s Constitutional Court.
“With respect to the content of the articles and sections contained in the law that has been examined, there can be no further appeal.” Harjono, a justice at the Constitutional Court, said while reading out the verdict.
Religious Affairs Minister and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali has failed to attend the Banten office of the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to answer questions relating to allegations of violating campaign rules.
Suryadharma is suspected of having used state facilities for his party’s interests and campaigning in a mosque when attending an event held by the Islamic Dakwah Indonesia Institution (LDII) in Banten on Tuesday.
Golkar Party chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie told party cadres and sympathizers in Medan, North Sumatra that a Golkar win in the upcoming elections was the only path to a state of welfare in this country.
“If you want to live in a better condition, then Golkar must win the elections,” he told a campaign meeting at Merdeka square in Medan on Thursday as quoted by antara.com.
Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) presidential candidate, visited the central board of Muhammadiyah on Thursday, the country’s second largest Muslim organization, and met with its chairman Din Syamsuddin.
This was Jokowi’s second visit to the Muhammadiyah central board office in Jakarta during his governorship.
Upon arrival, Jokowi, Din and the rest of the entourage performed a mass Duhur prayer in the Muhammadiyah mosque with Jokowi as the imam (leader of the mass prayer).
The University’s of Indonesia’s (UI) Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM-UI) has estimated that a legislative candidate for the House of Representatives must spend an average of Rp 1.18b (US$104,045) to have any chance of securing victory in the upcoming election.
“This figure has increased from an average of Rp 250 million in the 2009 legislative election,” LPEM-UI researcher Teguh Dartanto said as quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday.
He estimated the total income of a House member for five years reached to between Rp 5.3 and Rp 5.4 billion.
The University of Indonesia's Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM-UI) has estimated that the amount of money likely to circulate during this year, as a result of election fever, will reach Rp 115.3 trillion (US$10.15 billion).
It says most of the money will come from legislative election candidates, accounting for Rp 71.22 trillion or 62 percent of the total amount, while the government will spend Rp 25.12 trillion or 22 percent on the election.
Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) executive director Kuskridho Ambardi says the nomination of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo as a presidential candidate has had a positive impact on the electability of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
Respondents of a survey conducted by the LSI said they would vote for the PDI-P if Jokowi was nominated as a president, he said.
A candidate vying for a seat in West Lampung Legislative Council (DPRD) has been sentenced to six months in prison for vote buying during campaigning, according to Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) Lampung head Nazaruddin.
Nazaruddin said on Wednesday the candidate, endorsed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), was identified as ET. He added that the case was one of 150 campaign violations found by the committee.
