It was 9pm at the Hotel Acacia in Central Jakarta last week when Biak Numfor Regent, Yesaya Sombuk, received a guest in his room. The visitor was Teddy Renyut, CEO of Papua Indah Perkasa.

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.

The middle-aged man visited residents of Cideng in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Sunday afternoon two weeks ago. He wore civilian clothes, carried a walkie-talkie and had a small notebook tucked in his shirt pocket. Most residents turned the man away, but one of them, Rifky, 50, invited him in.

Marzuki Alie's cell phone rang one evening early last month. At the other end was the voice of Hatta Rajasa, chair of the National Mandate Party (PAN). Hatta invited Marzuki, a high official in the Democrat Party, to support him and Prabowo Subianto in the upcoming presidential election. Later the two met in person. "Pak Hatta asked me to become team secretary," Marzuki told Tempo.

A few days before the wukuf (standing) ritual of contemplation and exercising restraint on the Arafah Plain, Saudi Arabia, on October 25, 2012, most haj pilgrims there had left Medina for Mecca with all haj officials in tow. Then the officers heard instruction from Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali that he wished to go from Mecca to Medina for an inspection of haj housing and clinic facilities.