Soundbites and Second Bites

Backstage at Sarbini Hall, Central Jakarta, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo stretched his tired legs while talking with Jusuf Kalla, his running mate for the upcoming presidential elections. The first debate between the candidates had been paused momentarily, and on television advertisements filled the space, but at Sarbini Hall, the interlude was filled with slogans called out in support of the two tickets: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Jokowi-JK, as the latter is known.

In the debate's final segment, moderator Zainal Arifin Mochtar, director of Gadjah Mada University's Corruption Studies Center, asked each candidate to give closing remarks. Prabowo orated, declaring he would work hard to conserve the national wealth. "So that the democracy we struggle for is a democracy that is productive and delivers prosperity, and not just some wani piro democracy," he said, using a Javanese term that refers to how much one has to pay to get something done.

June 17, 2014