Alaksir Jakarta blog

Kompas has this front headline today: "Soekarwo-Saifullah Wins"

I’d add to that barely. What with only 0.4% margin of victory, this election is as tight as the Chinese censorship!

Close elections like this are nightmare. I mean, just how do you represent an electorate that comprises as many people that like you as those that don’t? They could actually be a threat to an infant democracy such as Indonesia where whole villages could battle over a dead chicken.

I don’t think the East Java election will lead to ugly results as in North Maluku and South Sulawesi a while back, but an assurance by the losing candidate to promote unity and peace over divisiveness as she said recently will obviously be a positive thing.

Judging from her and her supporters’ reactions, though, the message is a bit different. (Look at 3.27; what’s with the "Remember North Maluku" banner?).

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