海角大神

As Joko Widodo鈥檚 bus sloshes through flooded streets to enter one of Jakarta鈥檚 slums, the city鈥檚 governor says he鈥檚 in no rush to run for national office. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think about it,鈥� he says.聽

Opinion polls suggest that Mr. Widodo is Indonesia鈥檚 most popular politician and 鈥� should he stand 鈥撀燼 clear frontrunner for July鈥檚 presidential election. But the decision isn鈥檛 his to make: under Indonesia鈥檚 electoral system, only major political parties can put candidates on the slate. No write-ins, no independents allowed.

For Widodo, the gatekeeper is former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who chairs the opposition party to which Widodo belongs. A loser in the past two elections, Ms. Megawati鈥檚 willingness to step aside for Jakarta鈥檚 charismatic governor could make or break Indonesia鈥檚 presidential race, as Widodo freely acknowledges.聽

鈥淚 am focused on being governor of Jakarta. If you want to know who will be the candidate ask Ibu Megawati,鈥� he says using an Indonesian honorific.

While pundits speculate about Megawati鈥檚 thinking, including the possibility of Widodo on the ticket as vice president, the former furniture merchant, is honing his reputation as a can-do politician in Jakarta, a megacity of over 20 million. Elected in 2012, he has focused relentlessly on tackling Jakarta鈥檚 poverty, traffic, and livability, a brand of bread-and-butter politics that served him well in his previous job as mayor of Solo, a smaller city in Central Java.聽

Last month national daily Kompas published a poll that put Widodo鈥檚 approval rating at nearly 44 percent 鈥撀爉ore than all other likely presidential candidates combined. Prabowo Subianto, a retired Army general, came second with 11 percent. Megawati, who served as president in 2001-04, only got six percent.

Widodo鈥檚 popularity is evident when he steps off the bus he uses to visit Jakarta鈥檚 many slums. Hundreds of residents surge forward to shake his hand amid chants of 鈥淛okowi,鈥� as he鈥檚 affectionately known. His aides take notes of the list of their complaints, ranging from the price of beef to rent hikes in public housing.聽

After a stop for midday prayers at a mosque, where a crowd of men in colored sarongs spill out onto the front steps, Widodo climbs into a waiting black SUV and, despite the humidity, he doesn鈥檛 turn on the air conditioning. As he hands out notebooks to passing children, nearby workers unload garbage from an open-bed truck. The stench of organic waste lingers in the cloying air.

At a crumbling apartment block beside a fetid, overflowing canal, residents complain that rents are set to double to nearly $50 a month. In a country where roughly 100 million live on $2 or less a day, that鈥檚 a steep increase.

Back on the bus, Widodo suggests that the city can pay for improvements such as drainage and better lighting while keeping a lid on rents, but he won鈥檛 commit to a final settlement. 鈥淚 will call the management to my office and we鈥檒l make a deal,鈥� he says.

'Street democracy'

Drawn to the drama, news cameras from 12 local stations shadow Widodo鈥檚 every move. He insists that his slum tours are effective in jumpstarting Jakarta鈥檚 creaky bureaucracy and bringing it closer to those it鈥檚 supposed to serve.聽

鈥淭his is street democracy. People talking to me on the street, talking on the river bank,鈥� Widodo says. 鈥淚t is important for democracy. We must consult with the people.鈥�

Since taking office, Widodo has revived two long-moribund commuter transport projects. He plans to introduce electronic road pricing this year to ease traffic congestion. He鈥檚 moved thousands of squatters out of riverbank slums to make way for work aimed at alleviating annual floods and introduced health insurance for the poor.

That populism is mixed with a dash of pragmatism. As governor, he sets the city鈥檚 minimum wage. In 2012 workers got a 50 percent hike; last year it was only 10 percent, to the dismay of labor unions.聽

Last week he inked a $1 billion agreement with Taiwanese electronics giant Hon Hai Precision Industry to build a factory in an industrial suburb of Jakarta after promising a mix of tax breaks and new infrastructure. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, is a large contract manufacturer for Apple, Microsoft, and other global brands. 聽

Widodo鈥檚 profile and momentum make him a powerful force in national politics, says Anies Baswedan, the president of Paramadina University in Jakarta. Eventually, he predicts, Megawati will step aside so that Widodo can be the party nominee. 聽聽

Mr. Baswedan says the election signals a generational change in Indonesian politics. A new, emerging class of voters is increasingly turning against the crop of aging politicians that rose under the Suharto dictatorship and are seen as corrupt.聽

鈥淭his election is not about Megawati,鈥� Baswedan says. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 about what one person wants. This is about the hopes of millions.鈥�

A man of action

Around 30 million first-time voters will go to the polls this year, starting with legislative elections in April. None remember the rule of Suharto or the chaos that followed his ouster in 1998; they don鈥檛 share their parents鈥� craving for stability and security, a craving that helped President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired general, to win the last two elections (the maximum under term limits.)

Instead they want improved living standards, an end to Indonesia鈥檚 endemic corruption, and better paying jobs. And this is where Jakarta鈥檚 top official has an edge. 鈥淲idodo is seen as a man of action, an implementer,鈥� says Natalia Soebagjo, executive director at the Center for the Study of Governance at the University of Indonesia.

As Widodo hands out notebooks to ecstatic school children, Aspiiah a young mother of three is adamant that Widodo should run for president. 鈥淗e comes here and talks to us. The others, like Prabowo, never come here,鈥� explains Aspiiah, who like many here uses only one name. 鈥淗e is serious about helping. He鈥檚 not just talking.鈥�