Waiting for Melki, Ansy and Esthon's steps in the NTT gubernatorial election, who dares to take the risk?

A true leader is a person who dares to take risks and is not afraid of losing his position.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

Tourists are enjoying the natural panorama from the peak of Padar Island, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (24/6/2022). Padar Island is located in Komodo National Park's area.

A number of figures are beginning to maneuver to obtain the governor seat in East Nusa Tenggara. They are rallying support from the grassroots and approaching party elites to obtain political vehicles. On the other hand, many potential figures face a dilemma if they have to give up their position as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, which they fought for with "blood, sweat, and tears".

In the Golkar Party, the name that sticks out the most is Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena, Chairman of DPD I Golkar NTT. Melki, as he is familiarly known, was a member of the DPR RI for the 2019-2024 period, and was re-elected for the 2024-2029 period. He represents the NTT II electoral district which consists of the islands of Timor, Rote, Sabu and Sumba.

Melki obtained 95,138 individual votes, contributing to the party's total vote accumulation in that electoral district to 251,031. Based on the distribution, Golkar party obtained two seats or one more than in the previous election. A total of seven seats were contested.

Currently, the public is waiting for the moves of Melki, Ansy, and Esthon, whether they will choose the safe path as members of the Indonesian Parliament or take the risk to compete in the NTT Governor Election.

Another figure is Fransiskus Lema, a PDI-P cadre who is also a member of the DPR RI from the same electoral district as Melki. Ansy, his nickname, was re-elected for the 2024-2029 period. In contrast to Golkar, PDI-P's votes in that electoral district dropped so they lost one seat. Only one of the previous two seats remained.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The Boti tribe residents harvested yams from their gardens not far from the settlement of Kampung Boti, Kie District, South Central Timor Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on August 6, 2023. They are self-sufficient in food.

Meanwhile, Gerindra has not yet put forward a name. The Chairman of Gerindra DPD NTT, Esthon L Foenay, who ran twice as a gubernatorial candidate in NTT in the 2013 and 2018 elections, has not yet expressed his position to the public. In the Legislative Election on February 14th, 2024, Esthon was elected as a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives from NTT II electoral district. Esthon returned the Gerindra seat that was lost in the previous election.

The issue of air pollution is not new. The condition of the community being threatened by air pollution has long been occurring. There is ample research evidence indicating the threats posed by air pollution. However, this has not yet been able to drive significant efforts in controlling air pollution. As a result, residents continue to suffer from the effects of air pollution. PDI-P, Golkar, and Gerindra are three parties with the highest vote count for the 2014 legislative elections in NTT. Each party placed nine representatives in the NTT Provincial DPRD. Due to the superior vote count, the position of the NTT DPRD Chairman is still held by PDI-P. Meanwhile, Golkar and Gerindra each received a portion of representatives.

Despite having only nine seats, they cannot run the candidate pair alone. The minimum requirement of support set in the regulation is 20 percent of the total seats in the Provincial DPRD of NTT, which amounts to 65 or equivalent to 13 seats. This means they must form a coalition.

Until Saturday (20/4/2024), not a single figure from those three parties has made any open maneuvers, such as registering as a candidate for governor. They still seem to be assessing the opponents' strengths while calculating their steps.

Also read: Food Disaster Alarm in NTT

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

A chicken vendor at the Kaputu traditional market in Manulea Village, Sasitamean District, Malaka Regency, sold mostly free-range chickens on Wednesday morning (31/1/2024).

Melky, Ansy, and Esthon must have thought hard about running because they had to resign from their positions as members of the Indonesian Parliament (DPR RI). It would be fortunate if they win. If they lose, they will lose two fiercely contested positions. One of them is the expensive political cost.

However, they cannot deny if they are ordered by the party. Melky and Ansy are young figures who are highly desired by the public, while Esthon is a senior figure whose name is often mentioned by the president-elect for 2024-2029, Prabowo Subianto. Esthon, the Vice Governor of NTT from 2008-2013, is a respected figure in Gerindra. Esthon has a loyal voter base. Is this the time for Esthon?

Apart from these three names, other names have also emerged, such as former NTT Regional Police Chief Johni Asadoma, who has openly started maneuvering. During this week, Johni came to register with the Gerinda Party and the Indonesian Solidarity Party. Johni became the first figure to start warming up the dynamics of the NTT gubernatorial election.

Currently, the public is waiting for the maneuver of Melki, Ansy, and Esthon, whether they will choose the safe path as members of the Indonesian House of Representatives or take the risk to compete in the NTT Regional Election. This is also a moment for them to prove that true leaders are those who are willing to take risks and not afraid of losing their positions.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS PATI HERIN

The sea procession is part of the series of Semana Santa in Larantuka, East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday (7/4/2023). The sea procession takes place every Good Friday.

Also read: Maneuvers of the Former NTT Regional Police Chief