Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Despite his unpopularity and lacklustre performance, Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso is likely to be picked by Parliament to head the city administration for a second term.
With clear support from the influential political parties of President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Vice-President Hamzah Haz, the former Jakarta military commander is slated to beat dozens of other contenders for the coveted post.
Officials from Ms Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) said their chairman felt Mr Sutiyoso was capable of maintaining security in the capital as a result of his military background.
Legislators in Mr Hamzah's United Development Party have also confirmed that they were told to vote for Mr Sutiyoso when Parliament chooses Jakarta's next governor in October.
Analysts said Ms Megawati's backing for Mr Sutiyoso in spite of his poor track record indicated a growing mutual dependence between her government and the military.
"Megawati needs him to maintain stability in the capital, which is what Mr Sutiyoso has been doing," said political analyst Arbi Sanit. "Sutiyoso is also a good fund-raiser – having been Jakarta's military commander – and his administration has been subsidising the police and the military with a lot of money to maintain security."
But protests have been mounting against Mr Sutiyoso's plan to run for re-election due to his poor track record since his appointment five years ago in 1997.
In his handling of the devastating floods that inundated the capital earlier this year, rescue work was slow and many victims have yet to receive compensation promised by the administration.
Instead of allocating money to build flood canals and other public facilities, he has spent enormous amounts of money beautifying city landmarks.
Moreover, despite claims that he has reined in mass demonstrations in the capital, crime levels are on the rise and a spate of bombings has rocked the city.
It has also been alleged that Mr Sutiyoso employed thugs to assault women and children taking part in protests against his controversial policies earlier this year.
His "clean up the city" campaign has also been seen as heavy-handed. He allegedly sent thugs with bulldozers to destroy the homes of illegal squatters in the middle of the night and conducted raids on pedicab drivers despite court orders prohibiting him from doing so.
The Indonesian media has urged Ms Megawati to rethink her support for Mr Sutiyoso. The Jakarta Post daily said in its editorial on Friday: "It would be most unfortunate and against the spirit of reform if Megawati were to try and impose her will and ignore the wishes of the majority of the leaders in her own party who oppose Sutiyoso's renomination."