Riau Islands Gubernatorial Election, Peak of Ansar and Rudi's Political Competition

Ansar Ahmad and Muhammad Rudi will compete in the Riau Islands gubernatorial election. A rich story of old enemies and political dynastic rivalries.

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia (center) accompanied by Governor of the Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad (left) and Mayor of Batam Muhammad Rudi handed out aid to students on Rempang Island on Friday (6/10/2023).

The election for governor of the Riau Islands in the 2024 Pilkada will be the peak of the competition between Ansar Ahmad and Muhammad Rudi. Support from the Gerindra Party and PDI-P could determine the direction of the wind.

Currently, Ansar serves as the Governor of Kepri. He won the 2020 regional elections by partnering with his wife, Marlin Agustina, as the Deputy Governor. They defeated the Governor of Kepri 2020-2021, Isdianto, and the Deputy Governor of Kepri 2010-2015, Soerya Respationo.

Ansar is not a small fry in the political arena of Kepri. He has a strong support base as he previously served as the Regent of Bintan from 2005 to 2015. Additionally, he was also a member of the DPR's Commission V from 2019 to 2020.

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Governor of the Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad

The honeymoon period of Ansar and Marlin's relationship was short-lived. Six months after being inaugurated, cracks in their relationship began to be noticed by the public. It is rumored that Ansar went back on his promise to give positions in the provincial government to Marlin's faction.

In November 2022, Ansar said that Marlin never entered office and neglected his duties as deputy governor. He also touched on Marlin's activities in visiting a number of schools which he said were part of a hidden campaign to run for mayor of Batam in 2024.

Before becoming vice governor, Marlin had no political career. However, behind Marlin, there is a figure named Rudi who is one of the strongest political figures in Kepri. Rudi has been serving as the Mayor of Batam since 2016.

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Mayor of Batam Muhammad Rudi while attending the inauguration of the Santika Batam Hotel, Riau Islands, Thursday (20/10/2022).

Of the approximately 2 million residents of the Riau Islands, 1.2 million of them are in Batam. The free trade area, which was previously fully managed by the Batam Concession Agency (BP), is also the main supporter of the provincial economy.

In 2019, Rudi succeeded in ending the dualism of government in Batam between the Batam City Government and BP Batam which his predecessors had not been able to do since 2001. Now, Rudi holds the position of Head of BP Batam as an ex officio official.

Also read: Heavy Task Awaits the Ex-officio Head of BP Batam

Political dynasty

A lecturer at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Universitas Riau Kepulauan, Rahmayandi Mulda, assesses that Rudi, who is the Chairman of the National Democratic Regional Leadership Council in Kepri, has been preparing Marlin's political ladder since four years ago when he paired her with Ansar. It is no wonder that Marlin is now being touted as a candidate for mayor of Batam.

"It seems that Rudi wants to perpetuate the political dynasty in Batam. "Marlin was pushed to become a candidate for mayor, even though in fact there are other figures who have more experience in Nasdem," said Rahmayandi, Thursday (2/5/2024).

HUMAS PEMKOT BATAM

Mayor of Batam Muhammad Rudi and his wife, Marlin Agustina, vote during voting in Batam, Wednesday (17/4/2019).

The person referred to is Deputy Mayor of Batam, Amsakar Achmad. Besides having accompanied Rudi since 2016, the Nasdem cadre has also served as Head of the Batam Department of Industry and Trade.

Out of around 2 million inhabitants in Kepri, 1.2 million reside in Batam. The free trade zone, which was previously fully managed by the Batam Industrial Development Authority, is also a major economic pillar of the province.

In December 2023, Marlin who was previously a member of Nasdem defected to Gerindra. Rahmayandi suspects that this happened due to differences in opinions within Nasdem regarding Rudi's plan to nominate Marlin as a candidate for mayor.

In addition to preparing Marlin, Rudi has just successfully pushed his son, Randi Zulmariadi, to the Senate. Randi's vote tally, who ran with Nasdem, even surpassed senior politician in Nasdem, Nyat Kadir, who was the Mayor of Batam from 2001 to 2005.

On par with Rudi, Ansar has also long been building a political dynasty. The position of Bintan Regent is now held by Roby Kurniawan, who is Ansar's son. Meanwhile, Ansar's wife, Dewi Kumalasari, serves as the Vice Chairperson of the Kepri Regional House of Representatives.

Also read: Replace the Regent of Bintan who was caught in Corruption, the Governor of Riau Islands Appoints His Son

HUMAS PEMPROV KEPRI

The Governor of the Riau Islands, Ansar Ahmad, confirmed Dewi Kumalasari as the Mother of Literacy for the Riau Islands for the period 2022-2024.

Political party support

According to Rahmayandi, Rudi, who is a Nasdem and Ansar cadre under Golkar, will definitely be supported by their own party. Currently, Nasdem controls seven seats in the Riau Islands DPRD and Golkar has nine seats.

Two other parties that obtained a high number of votes in Kepri during the 2024 elections are Gerindra with nine seats and PDI-P with six seats. Rahmayandi assessed that Gerindra and PDI-P will play a key role in the Kepri regional elections.

Rudi has expressed his intention to run as a gubernatorial candidate on a number of occasions. He has also established communication with a number of political parties.

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi climbed into the cockpit of a Hawk 109/209 aircraft from Air Squadron 1 Elang Khatulistiwa, Pontianak, at the Hang Nadim Air Force Base in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday (February 29, 2024).

"If I want to move forward, then I have to prepare my party and lobby first. It's for sure that it will be through Nasdem," he said on March 14, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Golkar DPD in Kepri, Akhmad Ma'ruf Maulana, confirmed that Ansar would be nominated as the candidate for governor. Ansar previously served as the Chairman of the party with the banyan tree symbol for 15 years.

"It is certain that 1,000 percent (will support) Ansar. "That's a fixed price," said Ma'ruf.

KOMPAS/PANDU WIYOGA

Minister of Village, Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar (center) accompanied by Bintan Regent Roby Kurniawan (left) and Governor of Riau Islands Ansar Ahmad attended a series of National BUMDes Day in Bintan, Riau Islands on Wednesday (2/1/2023).

Contacted separately, the Secretary of the Regional Leadership Council of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) for the Riau Islands province, Lis Darmansyah, stated that the party with the bull logo had opened the registration of candidates for governor on May 1. The party's local leadership has also met with several figures who are rumored to be running for governor.

"That is still just regular communication, not yet serious. (It is not impossible) It will lead there if there are those who register," said Lis.

Last week, the Chairperson of the Gerindra DPD Kepri Iman Sutiawan and the Secretary of the Gerindra DPD Kepri Luther Jansen also held a closed meeting with Ansar and several members of the Golkar DPD Kepri. According to them, it was only a friendly gathering.