Jakarta Alone is Enough, Other Regions Must Not Follow Suit

Kompas/Raditya Helabumi

Vehicles are stuck in a traffic jam in Jatibaru, Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, after office hours on Friday (3/11).

The New Year will arrive in a matter of days. Next year, several agendas await us, including regional elections in five regencies and cities around Jakarta, namely in Bogor city, Bogor regency and Bekasi city in West Java, and Tangerang city and Tangerang regency in Banten.

Observing Jakarta in the past year, it was not easy to forget the two bouts of the city’s gubernatorial election. The smell of fighting is still high in the air even today. It is clear in our minds how both sides abused various issues for the sake of an election victory, ranging from polite ways, to attack-parry-dodge techniques.