Ceritalah | In Bekasi, the ‘Jersey of Indonesia’, a clue to Widodo’s election hopes

The Indonesian president lost the battle for West Java, the country’s most-populous province, to Prabowo Subianto in 2014

This time, he hopes choosing a Muslim running mate and spending lavishly on airports and railways will be enough to turn the result around

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In the 2014 presidential election, Prabowo carried both Bekasi and West Java. President Jokowi has devoted much time and energy to winning back the province in 2019. Photo: Wartakini.co

Published: 9:00am, 2 Apr 2019Updated: 10:43am, 2 Apr 2019

On April 17, 2019, Indonesia will be going to the polls. West Java, the country’s most-populous province, with 48.6 million inhabitants, is the pre-eminent electoral battleground.

Back in 2014, Joko Widodo lost the vote-rich prize to his nemesis, the former general Prabowo Subianto by a huge, twenty-point margin. Ever since then, he’s made the homeland of the Sundanese people a key target, lavishing the region with a succession of critical infrastructure projects, from new airports, railway lines, LRTs, dams and highways.

Will Jokowi, who has promised to improve infrastructure, be able to take West Java and secure re-election, or will it remain with Prabowo? Photo: Team Ceritalah

Has the small-town mayor-turned-president, (popularly known as “Jokowi”), managed to claw back support? Will the selection of an ulama (cleric) – Ma’ruf Amin – as his running mate address the constant carping over his Islamic credentials?

To get a sense of the mood, I’ve been hitting the ground with Team Ceritalah in the West Javanese city of Bekasi, spending time with thirty-eight-year-old engineer and activist-turned-school-teacher Saputro Dwi.

Saputro Dwi believes that Prabowo will be able to bring about the economic change that Indonesia needs. Photo: Team Ceritalah

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Ceritalah | In Bekasi, the ‘Jersey of Indonesia’, a clue to Widodo’s election hopes

Ceritalah | In Bekasi, the ‘Jersey of Indonesia’, a clue to Widodo’s election hopes