Solo mayor Jokowi is the local hero

There are many local leaders — bupatis (regents) and walikotas (mayors) — who are cutting their teeth on the ground, connecting to the people and in the process, earning records that can propel them to higher office.

THREE years ago, having tired of the political elite I was meeting in Jakarta, (whether from the legislative or the executive), I decided it was time to look elsewhere for the next generation of Indonesia’s leaders.