The question of whether or not Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama will be running for reelection as an independent candidate in 2017 has been looming large over Indonesia’s political landscape for over a year – ever since independent political group Teman Ahok was formed with the mission of getting their man back into office without being tied to any political parties.
Despite Teman Ahok accomplishing the herculean feat of gathering over 1 million KTP ID cards from Jakarta voters who support Ahok running as an independent, it still remains unclear if the governor will choose the independent or party route to re-election (mainly because the House of Representatives introduced new legislation to make running as an independent much more difficult).
But it looks like we’ll finally get an answer tomorrow. According to one of the founders of Teman Ahok, Singgih Widyastomo, the governor will be announcing his choice on Wednesday at a halal bihalal (post Idul Fitri gathering) with representatives of Teman Ahok and the three political parties that have also pledged to support him – the Nasdem Party, Hanura and Golkar.
“Yes, [the announcement] will be tomorrow,” Singgih told Kompas today.
Singgih said that the gathering would consist of a dinner followed by the announcement of Ahok’s choice for the 2017 election.
The governor had previously indicated that he would leave the choice up to Teman Ahok, but has also apparently been taking meetings with political parties to discuss the decision.
Whatever choice Ahok makes, it is likely to have huge ramifications on the Jakarta and national political scene, considering Ahok is still heavily favored to win the 2017 election against potential opponents.
