Friends or Foes THE Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking into suspicious funds going to the Friends of Ahok volunteer organization supporting Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama’s (Ahok) bid for reelection as an independent candidate in 2017. The money comes from Jakarta Bay land reclamation developers who have recently been indicted for attempting to bribe Jakarta local legislators into drafting the legislation in their favor. The chase is on to fi nd a link to the governor, but the scapegoat seems to be the well-intentioned but naïve volunteers. National: The Next National Police Chief MUCH to the surprise and chagrin of Jakarta’s political pundits, President Joko Widodo chose 51-year-old Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian to replace outgoing National Police Chief Badrodin Haiti. By nominating only one candidate who claims no political backing and who is the youngest among the generals on the list, the President seems to be exercising his prerogative to the hilt. Tito, who is better known as an effective counterterrorism commander, must still get the approval of the legislators in Senayan. Outreach: Local Anti-Smoking Campaigns THERE are some 80 million smokers in Indonesia, making it the country with the world’s third-largest number of smokers after China and India. Numerous anti-smoking campaigns have been launched by the central government, and cities like Jakarta have banned cigarette advertising in public areas. Increasingly, local areas, too, have begun their own campaigns to eradicate smoking. To commemorate international ‘No Tobacco Day’ last May, Tempo English features diverse nationwide campaigns to reduce smoking.

Keywords :
Ahok , Basuki Tjahaja Purnama , Jakarta Governor , The Friends of Ahok Volunteer ,