Quips & Quotes – Sept 27, 2016
A Capital Race
It’s official! Three tickets have been registered to run in the February 2017 Jakarta governors’ election, and their names all start with the letter ‘A’: Agus, Ahok and Anies. Unquestionably, it will be the most interesting race ever for the capital’s top job, given the candidates’ varied backgrounds – one is a former military man, the other is an academic and former minister and the incumbent is a businessman. Then there’s the different alliances of political parties backing them, too many to mention here. Suffice it to say that this promises to be a real exercise in public participation and inclusiveness. Let’s hope all that diversity translates into a peaceful and orderly campaign. In the cautionary words of Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, as reported in Koran Tempo, “We must respect democracy, everyone can speak but they must speak wisely, because action can lead to reaction.” Amen to that.
by Yuli Ismartono
Source: Tempo English News
