Jakarta's governor

Jakarta's governor

The battle for the position of governor of Jakarta has begun.
The "defending champion" Sutiyoso seems to be in a favorable
position following recent rumors that the President supports him.

Nevertheless, the rejection of Sutiyoso's candidacy has also
been voiced loudly, particularly at the grass-roots level. Some
critics point to the involvement of Sutiyoso in the July 27
tragedy. As Jakarta's military chief in 1996, Sutiyoso was held
responsible for the attack on the head office of the Indonesian
Democratic Party, engineered by the New Order administration to
damage the popularity of Megawati Soekarnoputri at the time. The
critics are also astonished that Megawati now supports him.

Another group has argued that Sutiyoso has no achievement to
justify his reelection.

A governor of Jakarta is also required to be more creative and
imaginative in solving problems.

Others have also demanded that a governor should have empathy
toward the urban poor, who have become the target of evictions
over the years. In the absence of empathy and attention, the ill-
fated city residents can become a source of social conflicts that
can break out at any time.

Considering the above prerequisites, it is not appropriate
that support from the President or the rejection by people at the
grass-roots tends to emphasize only on some aspects of the
qualifications needed by a governor. Giving opportunity to as
many candidates as possible would be the best way to net new
talent.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta