Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – Any Jakarta resident who has spent some time on the streets over the last three days knows that the gubernatorial candidates are the source – rather than the cure – of transportation problems. That is, for the next two weeks or so.
Hundreds of supporters of both candidates slowly march in street parades, clogging the way of other motorists.
All the joy belongs to packs of housewives, motorcycle taxi drivers and the un- and under-employed, all of whom have the spare time to listen to candidate endorsements.
And for them, hopefuls may be able to save their breath from elaborating how they would "fix" Jakarta and concentrate instead on memorizing campaign jingles.
Sumiyati, a resident of Gajah Mada, West Jakarta, said being part of the campaign was adding some excitement to her daily life as a housewife.
"I love seeing the crowds, the music and the snacks," she said, on the sidelines of a jingle exercise session for the campaign of Adang Daradjatun and running mate Dani Anwar at the district hall of Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.
Sumiyati came to the campaign with two buses full of residents from her area. She said she was invited by a neighbor who was a cadre of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the party endorsing Adang.
Sumiyati and her neighbors arrived long before the event was scheduled to start at 9 a.m.. Adang and Dani arrived two hours later, delayed by a traffic jam caused by their own supporters.
In less than an hour, Adang and Dani left the hall with a convoy of motorcycles carrying the flags and banners of community groups the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) and Tenabang Bersatu.
The FBR sent 500 members from two sub-district posts in Central Jakarta to the campaign event. Almost all the members who came that day were ojek drivers.
One of the drivers, Hasan, said he came because Adang's campaign team had promised him to give him Rp 15,000 to recover transport expenses. "It's better than just sitting around without passengers all day," he said.
The PKS chairman Tifatul Sembiring said the atmosphere at such campaign sessions was too noisy and euphoric for serious debate to occur. "Citizens are already well informed about candidates' platforms in the print and electronic media. Let's cheer up their day with the campaigns," he said.
The poll commission has allowed candidates to carry out public campaign rallies until Aug. 3 to deliver their platforms and woo support from voters. Candidates will perform two to three campaign sessions every day throughout this period. The sessions also involve top party officials and celebrities to attract voters.
Residents who attended campaign meeting for Fauzi Bowo in sports centers on Cengkareng and Lokasari, both located in West Jakarta, faced a similar spectacle.
Yayah, a housewife who lived near the Cengkareng sports center, said the wife of the head of the neighborhood unit in her housing complex asked five housewives, including herself, to attend the campaign event. "I heard there would be transport expenses for us after the campaign, but I haven't seen the money," she said.
Yohanes, who is jobless, acknowledged that he received Rp 20,000 from the head of the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS)'s branch to attend the Wednesday campaign meeting.
He said he waited since morning in the sports center with five other supporters of the Christian party. "I thought the campaign would be held in the morning, so we already waited for almost five hours," he said. Some of the residents said that they went in the morning to join the march along the streets to the campaign venue.
Several workers also managed to turn up to Fauzi's campaign session. Yono and Samsul, both workers from factories in the Cengkareng area, said they were able to take the day off from work because their supervisors told them to.
However, they received different amounts of money. Yono acknowledged that he received only Rp 10,000 from his supervisor while Samsul got Rp 25,000.