DKI Governor Must Be Neutral Figure from Two Legacy Camps for 2017 Regional Head Election

Jakarta City Photo by Appai on Unsplash

JAKARTA - The Coordinator of the Indonesian Electoral Committee (TePi Indonesia), Jeirry Sumampow, views that the Governor of DKI Jakarta who will be elected must be neutral from the legacy of the 2017 DKI Pilkada.

As a reminder, the election of the Governor and Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta in 2017 was marked by the split between the two camps of supporters of Anies Baswedan and Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) due to the narrative of identity politics.

"However, Anies was chosen by the atmosphere of identity politics. In this context, DKI is a political barometer, we need a neutral figure. Not to the right and left factions inherited from the 2017 and 2019 regional elections," said Jeirry in a discussion entitled "Who deserves it." So Acting Governor of DKI?", Thursday, September 15.

According to Jeirry, DKI Jakarta has a strategic position as a shaper of national political opinion. What happens in DKI will be consumed and has a bearing on the overall politics.

Therefore, to suppress the identity politics that has been inherited since the last DKI gubernatorial election, President Joko Widodo must choose a Governor who can suppress the development of opinions that divide society ahead of the 2024 General Election.

"We need a figure who is not burdened with political trauma in 2017. So, a figure who can make people think that this person (the Governor) can create an atmosphere and conditions that are conducive to 2024," said Jeirry.

In addition, the Governor who will lead Jakarta for the next two years must also understand the management of government specifically in Jakarta. Then, he was also a person who had a good relationship with the President.

"Being able to communicate well with the president. This is important to organize and build a more harmonious life. If there is some kind of mismatch between the coordination of the central government and DKI, it will complicate the process towards 2024," he said.

For information, Tuesday, September 13, the DKI Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) determined the names of three candidates to replace Anies Baswedan who will lead Jakarta from October 17 until the new DKI Governor is sworn in according to the results of the 2024 General Election.

This was obtained from the results of the joint leadership meeting of the nine factions of the DKI DPRD. Each faction has three names submitted. Thus, a total of 27 votes will be collected to screen the candidates for the Governor of DKI Jakarta.

As a result, four names were captured, namely Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono, Regional Secretary of DKI Jakarta Province Marullah Matali, Director General of Polpum Kemendagri Bahtiar, and Deputy IV Chief of Presidential Staff for Political Information and Communication Juri Ardiantoro.

From the results of the meeting chaired by the Chairman of the DKI Jakarta DPRD, Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, it was shown that Heru got 9 votes, Marullah got 9 votes, Bahtiar got 6 votes, and the jury got 3 votes. Automatically, the name of the jury fell for the DPRD to propose to the Ministry of Home Affairs.