SITTING alone on the porch, one afternoon last week, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo was lost in thought. He looked pale, his empty gaze fixed on the front lawn. He was brought back to reality by a commotion at the gate, noticing the group of reporters gathering at the front gate of his official residence across from Suropati Park in Central Jakarta.

That day, after accompanying Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Chairperson Megawati Soe