Indonesia Highlights: Indonesian Minister of Health Warns of Critical Covid-19 Vaccine Shortages | Indonesian Political Parties Back Presidential Son’s Run for Jakarta Governor in 2024 | Indonesian

President Joko Widodo’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka might have started off in his father’s footsteps as the new Mayor of the Central Java city of Solo.

But the president’s eldest son might set higher goals, as a number of Indonesian political parties pledged to back him if he ran for governor of Jakarta in 2024, as his father did in 2012 before he launched his presidential run two years later.

“The PAN [National Mandate Party] Party is ready to support Gibran if he makes a run for Governor of Jakarta,” said PAN head Zulfikli Hasan. The National Awakening Party [PKB] echoed PAN. “[Gibran] can count on [the PKB’s] support,” said PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar.

However, both men said their support is conditional. “[PAN] is aware that Gibran just started his tenure as Solo mayor. We hope he is successful and that he will do a good job [as Solo mayor],” said Zulfikli.

But Gibran insisted that he is taking his career one step at a time. “I plan to devote my efforts to the people of Solo. Jakarta can come later,” he said.

Gibran and his running mate Teguh Prakosa won the mayoral race for Solo in December 2020, after they won over 85 percent of the vote to beat their opponents Bagyo Wahyono and FX Supardjo

Source:

https://regional.kompas.com/read/2021/03/27/181339978/sejumlah-partai-siap-dukung-gibran-di-pilkada-dki-jakarta. 

Indonesian Foreign Ministry Repatriates Indonesian Jemaah Tabligh Followers in India

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has repatriated 16 Indonesian followers of the Jemaah Tabligh [JT] religious organization from India, a year after they were forced to prolong their stay in the country since the onset of the Covid-19 global pandemic.

“The 16 Indonesian nationals arrived in Jakarta on a Garuda Indonesia flight [from India]. They have undergone PCR and are currently starting a five day quarantine, in line with current health protocols,” the ministry said in a press release.

“Their return makes them the last of the 751 [Indonesian] Jemaah Tabligh members to be repatriated to Indonesia.”

The Ministry’s efforts to repatriate Jemaah Tabligh members have been a prolonged process, as Indian authorities started legal proceedings against them for offenses ranging from visa violations to spreading Covid-19 following their participation in the Tabligh, or Islamic rally in April, 2020.

The Indonesian Jemaah Tabligh members joined their counterparts from dozens of countries including Brunei, Iran and Pakistan for the rally.

At least one Indonesian national died during the group’s prolonged stay in India, while another two managed to continue traveling to Saudi Arabia.

Source:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/03/27/10284361/kemenlu-telah-pulangkan-semua-anggota-jemaah-tabligh-indonesia-di-india.