Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – The battle is on for the most lucrative governor's position in Indonesia.
The Jakarta Governor's seat is hotly sought after, offering enormous power and prestige in the country's most populous and richest of cities.
Nominations for the October gubernatorial election open next week and the contest is expected to be stiff, with powerful national politicians from President Megawati Sukarnoputri's PDI-P party competing with Golkar stalwarts. The influential current Governor Sutiyoso is likely to run for a second term.
The post is sought not only for the connections it offers to the country's leading politicians but also because the incumbent has the final say over large-scale projects in the city or any other projects which concern planning or environmental laws. Indeed, the governor is courted by the capital's businesses.
After much criticism, Jakarta's local parliament this year decided to change the process of electing the governor to allow candidates outside the political parties to be nominated by community and non-government groups. However, the governor will still not be directly elected by the city's 10 million inhabitants but by the 83 members of local parliament.
The plan has come under fire. In an editorial this week, the Jakarta Post said it still 'opens the possibility of money politics and horse-trading, which was a trademark of the old system'.
The Centre for Electoral Reform (Cetro) has been calling for direct elections to avoid 'money politics' or the practice of the richest candidates buying the councillors' votes.
In Jakarta and several other cities, said Ms Smita Notosusanto of Cetro, the PDI-P had won the most seats but a candidate from the military faction or the Golkar party was often nominated the governor, mayor or parliament chairman because they could buy votes.
Mr Sutiyoso, she said, had managed to overcome opposition from the local parliament last year by approving a request to buy the councillors new cars, He can "buy off" the councillors and may be elected again despite his poor performance.
According to the Public Servants Wealth Audit Commission, Mr Sutiyoso is Indonesia's richest governor with his land and investments valued at 11.931 billion rupiah.
Like previous governors, he is an ex-military commander and has been criticised for his handling of the recent floods, the high pollution levels and the inadequate public transport.
Mr Laode Ide, from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency, said the local parliament is often persuaded to ignore the major problems facing Jakarta.
In return for not criticising his performance, he said, the governor reportedly approves frequent overseas study tours for councillors.
But Mr Sutiyoso is hardly an anomaly. According to The Jakarta Post, all of Jakarta's governors since the early sixties – with the sole exception of Mr Ali Sadikan – had not amounted to much.
Mr Marco Kusimwijaya, a town planner who plans to offer himself as a candidate, said Jakarta needed a new style of governor.
"Jakarta is one of the worst cities in South East Asia. I am curious about why it can't do better when there are so many ways the government can raise money," he said.