Jakarta’s Three-Legged Race THE upcoming Jakarta governor’s election seemed a shoo-in for incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, aka Ahok, and his running mate Djarot Hidayat. But just before the deadline to register for the election, two surprise candidates suddenly emerged. The Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno ticket is endorsed by a coalition of parties led by Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party while the Agus Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni ticket is supported by a Democrat Party-led alliance. After the rushed lobbying to fi nd the right fi t, can the challengers beat Ahok, backed by political heavyweights PDI-P and Golkar? National: Is Influence Peddling A Crime? AS the KPK recently arrested DPD Chairman Irman Gusman for accepting money after using his infl uence to change the sugar quota for Semesta Berjaya company, questions are now being raised on whether peddling influence should be regarded as a crime. Antigraft activists are calling for a revision of the corruption law to include influence peddling in its list of illegal acts, especially since a similar case still hangs in the air. Like Irman, former PKS Chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq was indicted for using his infl uence to change the imported beef quota to benefit a third party. Outreach: Homes For Abandoned Children THERE are more than three million orphaned and abandoned children in Indonesia. Many lost their families to poverty or disease. In Aceh and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), they are victims of prolonged confl ict and natural disasters. The non-profi t SOS Children in Aceh built a housing complex for child victims, while in Kupang, capital of NTT, an airline pilot and his wife built an orphanage for abandoned children as a result of the 1999 East Timor conflict.

Keywords :
Governor Election , Basuki Tjahaja Purnama , Ahok , Djarot Saiful Hidayat , Anies Baswedan , Sandiaga Uno , Agus Harimurti , Sylviana Murni , ,