The richest gubernatorial candidate

The richest gubernatorial candidate

At least 80 people in West Java have registered as gubernatorial candidates. The selection process will winnow this down to six pairs of governors and vice governors, and those found eligible will proceed to the final test.

Last Wednesday the election committee announced the wealth of the candidates and the drama began. One candidate, a retired Army captain, admitted to being worth about Rp 17 trillion, including buildings valued at Rp 100 billion.

Another contestant, a retired brigadier general and former chief of the West Java Military Command, put his wealth at Rp 70 billion, making him the second richest candidate.

The third richest was the wife of the late Bandung mayor, who put her wealth at Rp 46 billion.

There were some strong reactions to these wealth reports.

The retired Army captain said he made his money from a business in Kuala Lumpur. But as he is only 54 -- it is not clear when exactly he retired from the Army -- he made all this money in just 24 years.

The retired captain could be included in the Indonesian Records Museum as the richest gubernatorial candidate the country has ever had.

-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta