Coconuts’ Who’s Who Guide to the Dec 9th regional elections: South Tangerang and Depok

Nine provinces, 224 regencies, and 36 cities are going to choose their new regional heads on December 9 – a historic date in which regional elections (Pilkada) are going to be held simultaneously across Indonesia for the first time.

So, in the name of democracy, make sure you’re well informed before you make a decision.

South Tangerang

South Tangerang is a city of contrasts. On the one hand, you have carefully planned, resplendent mini-cities like Bintaro, BSD, and Alam Sutera, but on the other, unkempt areas of abject poverty.

All eyes will be on South Tangerang this Pilkada, as incumbent Mayor Airin Rachmy Diany will look to secure a second term in office despite the graft convictions and scandals that have rocked her family (Airin’s sister-in-law is jailed former Banten Governor Ratut Atut Chosiyah).

Airin will be challenged by political veterans Ikhsan Modjo and Arsid, both of whom have substantial political party backings.

These are your South Tangerang mayor/deputy mayor candidates (appearing in order of their ballot numbers):

1. Ikhsan Modjo and Li Claudia Chandra

 

Ikhsan Modjo is certainly no stranger to high-level politics as he sits on the Democratic Party’s Central Leadership Council (DPP) as Deputy Secretary General. The Democratic Party may have dropped in popularity after the 2014 general elections, but Ikhsan can also count on backing from Gerindra, which leads the national coalition of opposition parties.

That is largely due to Ikhsan being paired with Li Claudia Chandra of Gerindra. Li is a relative unknown in politics, but was chosen as Ikhsan’s running mate due to her success as a self-made businesswoman and her scandal-free life. It’s not a stretch to guess that she was picked as a likeable, strong and attractive female character to directly counter the very similar image that incumbent Mayor Airin has in the city.

Curiously, Ikhsan and Li have not been exposed much in the media compared to the other two pairs. That could prove to be their downfall.

2. Arsid and Elvier Ariadiannie Soedarto Poetri

 

If political party endorsements are anything to go by, then this pair poses a mild challenge to the incumbents.

Arsid and Elvier are backed by three political parties: the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Hanura Party, and, most notably, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). PDI-P came a close second (behind Golkar) in the 2014 general elections with 113,298 votes in South Tangerang, and the pair will be hoping that translates into votes for them.

Arsid himself is a member of PDI-P, though not a very renowned one compared to the other candidates. Elvier, from the Hanura Party, was plucked from her job as the director of Buah Hati Ciputat Maternity Hospital. Like Li, she too is a relative newbie in politics.

The pair are at least more vocal in the media and haven’t shied away from subtly attacking their opponents, particularly Airin’s camp. Even so, it doesn’t appear that they have solid political grounds to run in the elections, with Arsid shooting himself in the foot recently by admitting that, if elected, he’s essentially just going to maintain Airin’s ongoing programs for the city.

3. Airin Rachmy Diany and Benyamin Davnie

 

Much of the gentrification that has taken place in certain affluent parts of South Tangerang (most notably BSD and Alam Sutera) was carried out after Airin and Benyamin took charge of the city in 2011.

But just as there are many corruption scandals surrounding Airin’s family, the incumbents’ current campaign has been tarnished with scandals as well. Airin and running mate Benyamin have been accused of electoral fraud by providing grants to various organizations in the city. The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) has already likened Airin’s actions to that of her jailed sister-in-law, Ratu Atut, when she ran for governor of Banten.

Nevertheless, expect Airin and Benyamin to be re-elected given their massive political backing. The pair are endorsed by six political parties: the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Nasdem Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the overall winners of the 2014 general elections in South Tangerang, Golkar. In addition, Airin and Benyamin also has declarations of support from some of the city’s largest local communities, such as the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR).

Depok

Having already served two terms as the mayor of Depok, Nur Mahmudi Ismail is out of the running in this year’s elections. But his deputy mayor, Idris Abdul Shomad, is looking to clinch his promotion to mayor as he takes on a youthful, yet not to be underestimated rival, Dimas Oky Nugroho, in a battle between old and new.

The two candidates both want to convince voters that they’ll be tackling the pressing issue of violent – often deadly – robberies in Depok that have been on the rise in recent times. Another jarring problem with Depok is its unforgiving traffic jams, especially on Margonda Street – the heart of the city.

These are your Depok mayor/deputy mayor candidates (appearing in order of their ballot numbers):

1. Dimas Oky Nugroho and Babai Suhaimi

 

Dimas Oky Nugroho is by no means a familiar face in Depok before the campaigns began. Now 37, Dimas was a political activist who founded a political communications consultancy before becoming part of President Joko Widodo’s staff.

His youth and charm may work in his favor, but his critics would say he’s too inexperienced in actual politics and would only serve as a puppet for more senior, influential political figures who would be pulling his strings from behind the scenes (sound familiar?).

However, together with running mate Babai Suhaimi, Dimas is endorsed by six political parties: PDI-P, Golkar, PAN, PKB, NasDem, and PPP, easily eclipsing his competition. All six parties fared really well in Depok during the 2014 general elections, but it was PDI-P who took the cake after securing 165,236 votes out of a possible 820 thousand.

That said, PDI-P might not be entirely united in their support for Dimas and Babai. Many members of the PDI-P Depok chapter expressed their displeasure and flat out protested against the party’s decision to nominate an unknown – who is not a Depok local, no less – as mayor of the satellite city.

2. Idris Abdul Shomad and Pradi Supriatna

 

The same can’t be said about Idris Abdul Shomad, who has been the deputy mayor of Depok since 2011. Under the current administration, Depok has won some impressive acclaim, including being the cleanest metropolitan city in West Java in 2015, and being the fourth smartest city in Indonesia according to Kompas.

Education will be high on Idris’ agenda, given that Depok is home to the biggest campus of arguably the most prestigious university in Indonesia, Universitas Indonesia (UI). Idris also happens to be a professor at UI, as well as at three other institutions.

Idris’ running mate, Pradi Supriatna, was born and raised in Depok. He’s well known as a high school graduate who nevertheless found success in business and is active in local politics. He was defeated as a deputy mayor candidate in 2010, but should stand a better chance this time around.

Idris and Pradi aren’t far behind Dimas and Babai in terms of political support. The pair were endorsed by PKS and Gerindra, both of which are among the most popular political parties in Depok.

All things considered, it’s going to be a very tight race in Depok.

So make sure you know your candidates when you go to vote on December 9. While the rest of the Greater Jakarta area won’t have to vote on that day (but will have the day off regardless), be sure to follow your local politics so that you’ll know who to vote for when the time comes. Remember, Jakarta, Bogor and Bekasi will go to the polls in 2017, followed by Tangerang in 2018.