Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and his running mate Muhaimin Iskandar arriving at the election commission in Jakarta to register on Oct 19, 2023. - Reuters
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): Election fever in Indonesia kicked into high gear as the first two pairs of candidates for the country’s top posts submitted their applications on Thursday (Oct 19), amid a carnival-like atmosphere as thousands of supporters cheered them on.
It was a sea of party flags at the General Elections Commission of Indonesia (KPU) in central Jakarta on Thursday, the first day of registrations for candidates. The crowd chanted the names of their candidates, recited prayers for their victory and danced along to music blaring from speakers.
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Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and his running mate, chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Muhaimin Iskandar, were the first to register.
Arriving in a white jeep flanked by more than 12 security personnel, the duo dressed in matching white shirts and songkok headgear posed for selfies and shook hands with fans as they entered the KPU building at 9.45am.
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At around 12.40pm, the candidates for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo and Indonesia’s Security Minister Mahfud MD, turned up at the commission in an open-air lorry decorated in the country’s flag colours of red and white.
Ganjar was dressed in a black shirt while Mahfud wore a white one. They also had a security team, which accompanied them as they waved and posed for the crowd. Their entourage also included a marching band.
The registration ends on Oct 25 and the election will be held on Feb 14, 2024. More than 204 million Indonesians are expected to vote.
Supporters for Amin, a portmanteau that they have given the Anies and Muhaimin pair, started arriving as early as 6am outside the KPU, with some travelling as long as three hours to reach the venue.
Rice farmer Ayoh Abas, 45, who comes from the Banten province located north-west of Jakarta, left her home at 4am while it was still dark, to be among the first standing outside KPU.
She said: “I want change. Anies can bring change. I want irrigation. Our paddy fields fully rely on rain, and now it’s been so dry.”
Amin supporters started clearing out of the KPU area from around 11.30am, after which those from the PDI-P pairing’s camp started arriving. While some supporters did cross paths, things stayed peaceful, and some supporters even smiled at each other and shook hands.
Housewife Nurhayati Manurung, a 55-year-old supporter of Ganjar, said that she admired his humility as well as his good track record as Central Java governor.
Nurhayati told The Straits Times that she took a train from Tangerang, a city outside Jakarta, with around 250 other supporters, and that she wanted to show her support to both Ganjar and Mahfud, who she said made for a “very cool pair”.
Nurhayati and Ayoh along with most of the more than 3,000 people who turned up outside the KPU, were decked out in merchandise bearing the names or the faces of the candidates.
T-shirts, vests and badges bore the faces of Anies, Ganjar and their running mates, as stalls peddled their goods, with some enterprising sellers weaving in and out of crowds to help the supporters make quick purchases.
“It’s only 9am, they’re not even here yet, and we’ve almost sold out. I wish I had brought more items, but our customers can still buy our items online,” said a stall owner selling Anies merchandise who did not want to give his name.
Despite the sweltering heat, supporters kept their energies up. They chanted the names of the candidates and made speeches to show support through loudhailers as well large speakers attached to stationary vehicles. Roads leading to the KPU were closed to allow people to assemble.
Prayers were recited for the candidates’ victory, reflecting how Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim country and the big role that religion is expected to play in the upcoming electoral battle.
To recharge, some sat on picnic mats, shielded their eyes with sunglasses and vigorously used handheld fans – all of which could be purchased on-site.
“Lumayan, lumayan, lumayan” shouted a man selling sunglasses for 10,000 rupiah (90 Singapore cents).
Also available was street food sold from dozens of gerobak, or mobile vendor stalls. Supporters were seen tucking into mie ayam, rojak, as well as fried snacks prepared on the spot.
Volunteers, some of whom were handing out free bottles of water, reminded people to be responsible and to pick up after themselves to avoid littering.
More than 2,000 officers were deployed on Thursday to ensure that the registration process went on smoothly.
