Jakarta governor race heats up as Jokowi, ex-presidential hopeful Anies throw weight behind different candidates

SINGAPORE: With days to go before Indonesia elects its local leaders on Nov 27, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan have thrown their weight behind their preferred candidates in the high-stakes contest to be Jakarta’s next governor.

This has led observers and netizens to dub the Jakarta race a match-up between Jokowi and one-time presidential hopeful Mr Anies, rather than the actual candidates Mr Ridwan Kamil and Mr Pramono Anung.

Mr Ridwan, 53, is the former governor of West Java who is backed by president Prabowo Subianto’s Advance Indonesia Coalition or KIM Plus.

Mr Pramono, 61, who was most recently Cabinet Secretary, is backed by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). 

Latest polls show Mr Pramono pulling ahead of Mr Ridwan.

According to a survey conducted from Oct 31 to Nov 9 by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting, Mr Pramono leads with a support level of 46 per cent while that for Mr Ridwan is 39.1 per cent. The third candidate, retired police commissioner Dharma Pongrekun, who is running independently, is trailing at 5.1 per cent. 

Mr Anies and Mr Widodo are widely believed to have a distant relationship. Both are former Jakarta governors and Mr Anies served as education minister during the Widodo presidency before he was sacked in 2016. 

Although Jakarta is set to lose its status as Indonesia’s capital to Nusantara in East Kalimantan at a date to be determined, it is the heart of the country’s politics and economy. Governorship of the city is seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.

WHO'S THE RIGHT ONE?

On Monday (Nov 18), Mr Widodo appeared at a gathering of Mr Ridwan’s supporters and declared his support for the Golkar politician and his running mate Suswono from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). 

“He is the right one to lead Jakarta with all the challenges that exist because he is experienced in developing the city of Bandung and the province of West Java,” Mr Widodo said in a speech that was broadcast "live" on KompasTV. 

Mr Ridwan was mayor of Bandung from 2013 to 2018 and governor of West Java from 2018 to 2023. He has a master’s degree in urban design from the University of California in Berkeley.

Mr Widodo said Mr Ridwan was the right person to lead Jakarta, a bustling metropolis that faces issues such as flooding and air pollution.

On Thursday (Nov 21), Mr Ridwan told the media that he hoped Jokowi would attend his final campaign event on Saturday (Nov 23) before the cooling-off period begins on Sunday.

Mr Anies, meanwhile, finally declared his support for Mr Pramono on Thursday (Nov 21).

At a campaign event for Mr Pramono at Block S Square in South Jakarta, Mr Anies urged his supporters, also known as “Anak Abah”, to vote for Mr Pramono and his running mate Rano Karno. 

Mr Pramono responded by promising to continue the policies Mr Anies had championed when he was Jakarta governor from 2017 to 2022. “Rest assured that I and Rano will carry on the positive programmes initiated by Mr Anies,” Mr Pramono said.

With Mr Anies’ backing, Mr Pramono believes there will be fewer residents who will abstain from voting.

“Mr Anies’s extraordinary support would mean that the number of people who will abstain from voting will decrease. Based on surveys, about 26 per cent of voters are currently considering abstention, but this number is likely to fall,” Mr Pramono told his supporters on Nov 21, as quoted by local media outlet Kompas. 

Mr Anies was to have been a candidate in the latest Jakarta gubernatorial election, but could not contest due to a lack of party endorsement.

"LIMITED" INFLUENCE OR GAMECHANGER?

While some observers believe the support of two influential figures is a possible “gamechanger” in the regional elections, others say their influence “appears limited”.

Mr Made Supriatma, visiting research fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, noted that Jokowi’s endorsement of the Ridwan-Suswono pair, in particular, “doesn’t seem to carry much weight”. 

“Jakarta’s electorate, which is predominantly middle-class and politically informed, often exhibits a degree of independence,” he told CNA, noting that Mr Widodo’s influence in the capital city seems to be weaker as compared to regions like Central Java, where he is backing governor candidate Ahmad Luthfi.

Mr Anies’ influence, however, may give a slight edge to the Pramono-Rano pair, said Mr Made, citing how many of Mr Anies’ supporters were frustrated by his inability to run for office due to a lack of party backing. 

But there is no guarantee that Mr Anies’ supporters will rally behind Mr Pramono as a substantial number may want to abstain, Mr Made noted. He added that the candidates have to connect with voters on the ground. 

Indonesia’s simultaneous regional elections next Wednesday (Nov 27) will be the largest in its history. A total of 545 positions are contested and Indonesians will elect 37 governors, 93 mayors and 415 regents. 

Jakarta is the only province that will see a second round of voting between the two leading candidates early next year if noone wins more than 50 per cent of the vote on Nov 27.