IN FOCUS: High stakes in Indonesia’s regional elections for Prabowo, Megawati amid energy play | USAEMALL.com

In mineral-rich regions such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua, local leaders must manage resources well by tackling illegal mining, environmental degradation and other issues. 

Java, meanwhile, is where factories tend to be located.

This means business interests and the regional elections are “inseparable”, said Madam Titi Anggraini, an election law lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

“In areas rich in natural resources, there is a struggle between business people backing particular candidates because they think they must ensure the security of their investments and businesses,” she added.  

This time around, business groups have backed some candidates. Apart from donations, this entails sending volunteers to campaign for them or, when a business person is famous, endorsing them to garner more votes. 

Jakarta governor candidate Ridwan Kamil is backed by a group of entrepreneurs called Pengusaha Pejuang Bersatu, for instance.

The group’s advisory board chairman is Mr Ryan Haroen, a director in property developer PT Maskapai Pembangunan Industri Sumatra and a shareholder of a coffee shop. 

Central Java governor candidate Ahmad Luthfi is supported by a group of business people called Pengusaha Sahabat Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin, which has helped campaign for him together with Mr Widodo’s youngest child Kaesang Pangarep. Mr Kaesang is himself an entrepreneur and his family is from the province’s city of Solo. He is also chairman of the political party Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI).

With the regional elections taking place just nine months after February’s presidential and legislative elections, analysts see an extension of the power play by Mr Prabowo’s Advance Indonesia Coalition (KIM) and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Mr Prabowo’s big-tent coalition of political parties has been dubbed the KIM Plus, and is widely seen to be backed by his predecessor, Mr Widodo.