THE skies were dark when the campaign began at midday, on Monday last week, at Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. A crowd of about 5,000 had gathered, dressed mostly in green. The speech of Crescent Star Party (PBB) Syura Council Chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra was enthusiastically applauded by his supporters.

A few minutes after Yusril gave a speech, it rained heavily, accompanied by gusting winds. The crowd scattered, in search of shelter. The campaig