There have been plenty of respected political figures rumored to be vying for the top job in Jakarta in the 2017 gubernatorial election, but, as is usually the case with Indonesian elections, popular names that have no political credibility can also enter the fray.
We saw it when the National Awakening Party (PKB) wanted to endorse dangdut legend Rhoma Irama as a presidential candidate for 2014, and it looks like the party is looking to another musician, Ahmad Dhani, as their candidate for the next Jakarta gubernatorial race.
“Dhani has talents that not many others have. Apart from being a musician, Dhani is also a Nadhlatul Ulama member and has concepts for the development of Jakarta. He’s popular, yes, but he has to prove that he is electable [before we endorse him],” wrote Abdul Aziz, head of the Jakarta chapter of the Islamic youth movement GP Ansor, which is affiliated to PKB, as picked up by Okezone today.
Dhani himself said he would be ready to challenge incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama should PKB endorse him.
If you’re not so well versed in Indonesian pop culture, Dhani became a household name in the Indonesian entertainment scene for leading one of the country’s most popular pop rock bands ever, Dewa 19, and its reincarnated form, Dewa. Currently, he is serving as one of the judges on the already stale “Indonesian Idol” talent search competition on TV.
In 2013, Dhani’s son, Abdul “Dul” Qadir Jaelani, who was 13 at the time, was illegally driving a high-powered sports car, given to him by his father, on the Jagorawi toll road. He crashed his vehicle into a minivan, killing seven and injuring 11 others.
As is often the case with traffic incidents involving rich kids, Dul was found guilty but managed to escape punishment. Dhani paid money to the victim’s families but denied giving his 13-year-old son a sports car made him in any way responsible for the deadly accident.
Update: Thanks to Facebook user Morgan Fairchild for reminding us that Ahmad Dhani once dressed up in the Nazi SS uniform for a music video supporting Prabowo Subianto’s presidential candidacy in 2014. Here’s the excruciatingly embarassing video (we wonder if they paid any royalties to Queen for blatantly ripping off ‘We Will Rock You’):
