Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil has made fervent declarations in support of the local football team. - WEST JAVA GOVERNOR OFFICE
JAKARTA: Stuck in a Jakarta traffic jam? No worries, we have a carload of therapists and clerics who will stop by to ease your frustration during the interminable wait.
That is what Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil is promising voters in the Nov 27 regional election. He has also made fervent declarations in support of the local football team.
Other candidates are not to be outdone, with East Java’s Blitar mayoral hopeful Rijanto and his “crazy rich” businessman running mate, Beky Herdihansah, making a grand entrance by riding a Harley Davidson bike to submit their candidacy.
Their campaign team later reportedly threw 20,000-rupiah (US$1.30) notes into the air for voters to catch.
Campaigning for the regional election will officially begin on Sept 25, running for 60 days. For the first time, Indonesian voters will elect governors simultaneously across 37 provinces, and mayors and regents in more than 500 regencies and cities, in what is locally known as pilkada.
Ridwan, former West Java governor and nominee of a mega coalition of 12 parties, including incoming President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra, has sparked debate with his controversial traffic solution.
The capital is ranked 30th globally for congestion, with an average 10km trip taking 23 minutes and an average maximum speed of just 21kmh, according to Amsterdam-based digital mapping specialist TomTom’s 2023 traffic index.
“We’ve got a programme called ‘mobil curhat’ (a vehicle to pour your heart out),” Ridwan said on a YouTube podcast with prominent former news anchor Najwa Shihab.
“It’s a vehicle that will roam Jakarta with psychologists, counsellors and clerics on board. People won’t get angry as easily because they’ll have a way to address their mental health.
“The state will also be involved, so people who are annoyed because of traffic jams, or any other frustrations they might have, will have a friend to talk to, rather than just venting on Instagram stories,” said the 52-year-old, better known as Kang Emil.
In one of the most fiercely contested election battlegrounds, Ridwan and running mate Suswono are locked in a three-horse race against Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle politician and actor Rano Karno, and independent candidates former police general Dharma Pongrekun and academic Kun Wardana.
As the capital city, Jakarta holds significant political weight. The governor’s decisions can influence national policies and political trends, and the role is often viewed as a stepping stone for those aiming for the presidency.
Opinion polls ranked Ridwan as the third most popular candidate in Jakarta. Despite not participating, former governors Anies Baswedan and Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, are ahead of him.
As far as online chatter goes, the idea of “mobil curhat” has not gone down well with Indonesians, despite the popularity of “jasa keliling”, or door-to-door services, from cleaning to cobbling in the country. The mobil curhat is a form of jasa keliling, where people get services on the spot.
“If the vehicle is stuck in a traffic jam and the psychologists get frustrated, who do they pour their hearts out to?” Ardianto Satriawan posted on social media platform X.
Sarawasti, 35, an office worker in downtown Jakarta who goes by one name, told The Straits Times: “I’m shocked that he would suggest this. Shouldn’t the potential Jakarta governor focus on improving public transportation or finding solutions to divert traffic? Adding more cars to the road will only make the traffic worse.”
“I need a mobil curhat to file this complaint right now – oh, wait a minute, it’s stuck in traffic too?” she added.
Besides the vehicle, Ridwan also pledged to plant more trees to improve Jakarta’s air quality and expand popular car-free day programmes to every sub-district.
Shifting his attention from angry motorists to football fans, he declared that he “will love Jakarta in its entirety”, including its top football club, Persija, and its devoted fans, known as Jakmania.
Not to be outdone, his rival, Dharma, promised that if elected, he would offer free access to the Jakarta indoor stadium for Jakmania.
Outside Jakarta, regional candidates are also sharpening their political knives – and emptying their pockets.
East Nusa Tenggara’s Sikka regency candidates Fransiskus Roberto Diogo and Martinus Wodon – collectively known as “Paket Romantis” (Romantic Package), which is a blend of their names – have vowed to promote cultural tourism, provide scholarships for high school students from low-income families, and ensure that “no citizen will be unable to receive treatment if they fall ill”.
Bali’s Karangasem regency candidate I Wayan Kari Subali promised to forgo his salary to fund, among other things, adequate housing for the poor, and stated: “I will only take food and drinks at the office.”
Joined by renowned TV host Sule and soap opera actor Preman Pensiun, West Java gubernatorial candidate Dedi Mulyadi, during a rally at the weekend, promised a foster mother welfare programme for the elderly. This initiative would assign provincial officials to care for and provide for elderly women.
Dr Yoes Kenawas, a research fellow at Atma Jaya Catholic University, said that while populist policies seem attractive, they fail to address underlying issues, potentially leading to ineffective or even counterproductive outcomes.
“Populist tactics do work to secure votes. Populist narrative and programmes are easy to digest and relatable to everyday people’s concerns. That’s why populist strategies and programmes are appealing to voters,” he told ST.
But he warned that these policies are only good for the short term. In the long run, they could add enormous burden to the state budget.
Referring to Ridwan’s plan, he said: “The proposal sounds good to the ear, but is actually not needed and does not solve the real problem. Populist policies made without clear problem analysis only become wasteful projects.” - The Straits Times/ANN
