Central Java Regional Elections 2024: Predominance of Master’s Degree Holders, Few Young and Female Candidates
[Disclosure: The original article, written in Indonesian, was published by Serat.id--an independent local media outlet focusing on in-depth, data-rich news--on 16 November 2024.]
A total of 76 pairs of regional head candidates in Central Java will contest for votes in the simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) on November 27, 2024. This contest includes 62 candidate pairs at the regency level and 14 candidate pairs at the city level.
According to the General Elections Commission (KPU) website, most of the candidates in Central Java’s Pilkada have a master’s degree (41.6%), followed by those with a bachelor’s degree (35.1%). Interestingly, 4.5% hold the highest educational qualification, a doctorate (PhD/S3), two of whom are running for Governor of Central Java and Mayor of Semarang.
From the data, both candidates for Regent in Kudus Regency hold doctoral degrees. Candidate number one, Sam’ani Intakoris, earned his doctorate from the Faculty of Engineering, Diponegoro University, in 2018. Candidate number two, HM. Hartopo, graduated from the Doctoral Program in Law at Sultan Agung University Semarang in 2020. Hartopo is notable because he has served as a member of Kudus Regency DPRD (2014–2018), Deputy Regent of Kudus (2018–2019), and twice as Acting Regent of Kudus (2019–2021 and 2021–2023). However, according to KPU records, Hartopo is a former convict.
Meanwhile, in the Tegal Regency election, there is a young candidate pair, both with master’s degrees: Bima Eka Sakti (33) for Regent and Muhammad Syaeful Mujab (29) for Deputy Regent. Several media outlets have dubbed them the “young duo” to highlight their age. Bima earned a Bachelor of Applied Government Science (S.STP) from the Institute of Public Administration (IPDN) and a Master’s degree from Stikubank University Semarang. Mujab completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Indonesia and obtained a Master of Science (M.Sc.) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK.
In contrast, in Pati Regency, candidate pair Budiyono and Novi Eko Yulianto (number three) are both high school (SMA) graduates—the lowest education level recorded among candidates in the 2024 Central Java Pilkada. Nevertheless, they are considered quite experienced in governance. Budiyono served as Deputy Regent of Pati (2012–2017), while Novi is the head of Jakenan Village, Jakenan Subdistrict, Pati.
Few Young Candidates
According to KPU data, as many as 66.2% of regional head candidates in Central Java are over 44 years old. This means that only about one-third (52 people) of the candidates are from the millennial and Gen Z age groups. These younger candidates are spread across four regions: Kudus, Purbalingga, Klaten, and Karanganyar.
In Kudus Regency, Bellinda Putri Sabrina Birton, running for Deputy Regent, is recorded as the youngest candidate in the 2024 Central Java Pilkada at age 25. Bellinda graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at Diponegoro University and works as a young entrepreneur. Her father, Edy Birton, serves as Secretary of the Deputy Attorney General for Civil and Administrative Affairs (Jamdatun) and owns the Berlian Jaya Bus Company (PO Berlian Jaya), which operates more than 100 fleets across over 25 different routes.
In Karanganyar Regency, candidate for Regent Ilyas Akbar Almadani (26) is another young contender. Ilyas is Chair of the Karanganyar Branch of Golkar Party (2021–2025). In the 2024 legislative elections, he was elected to the Karanganyar Regency DPRD but resigned to run in the Pilkada. His seat was taken over by his mother, Siti Komsiyah, who is still serving as Chair of the Golkar Party Faction in the Karanganyar Regency DPRD. Ilyas’ father, Juliyatmono, served as Regent of Karanganyar for two terms (2013–2018 and 2018–2023), and before that was Chair (2004–2009) and Deputy Chair (2009–2013) of the Karanganyar Regency DPRD. In the 2024 legislative elections, Juliyatmono ran as a Golkar candidate for the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), finishing with the second-highest vote tally (18,728 votes).
In Purbalingga Regency, a young candidate pair is also running: M. Fahmi Muhammad Hanif (28) for Regent and Dimas Prasetyahani (29) for Deputy Regent. Fahmi owns several companies in Purbalingga and is the son of Rofik Harnanto, a PKS legislator in DPR RI (2019–2024) who was re-elected in 2024. Dimas also owns several companies, and his father is retired Police Brigadier General H. Burhanuddin.
In Klaten Regency, another young pair is contesting: Hamenang Wajar Ismoyo (36) for Regent and H. Benny Indra Ardhianto (32) for Deputy Regent. Hamenang currently serves as Acting Chair of the Klaten Regency DPRD (2024–2029), after previously serving as Chair (2019–2024) and member (2014–2019). His mother, Kadarwati, is a member of Commission B of the Central Java Provincial DPRD from the PDIP faction. Meanwhile, Benny is the son of Hariyanto, a Gerindra Party legislator in the Klaten Regency DPRD, who won the highest votes in both the 2019 and 2024 elections (around 16,000 and more than 18,000 votes, respectively).
Few Female Candidates
Based on KPU data, women make up only 17.5% of the candidates in the 2024 Central Java Pilkada, or 27 out of 154 participants. This figure may suggest that political parties still do not view female leadership as a strong winning prospect.
Nearly half (44.4%) of the female candidates are running for Regent/Mayor, while the rest are running for Deputy Regent/Deputy Mayor. The age range of female candidates is wide, from the youngest in Kudus (25) to the oldest in Blora (65).
On average, female candidates are 48 years old. In terms of education, they are quite diverse: 11 have master’s degrees (S2), 10 have bachelor’s degrees (S1), 4 have high school diplomas (SMA), and 2 have doctorates (S3).
Single-Candidate Races in Three Regions
In this year’s Pilkada, three regions have only a single candidate pair: Banyumas, Brebes, and Sukoharjo. This is half the number compared to the 2020 Pilkada, which saw six such regions.
In Banyumas, the single pair is Sadewo Tri Lastiono and Dwi Asih Linarti. Sadewo was Deputy Regent of Banyumas (2018–2023) and previously a member of the Banyumas Regency DPRD from PDIP (2004–2009). Dwi has a long career in local government, having served two terms as Village Head of Kedung Banteng (from 2007) and three consecutive terms as a member of the Banyumas DPRD (2014–2019, 2019–2024, and 2024–2029). Although inaugurated in August 2024, she later resigned to run as Regent against an empty ballot.
In Brebes, the single pair is Paramitha Widya Kusuma and Wurja. Paramitha, age 32, is a DPR RI legislator from PDIP (2019–2024) and the daughter of Indra Kusuma, a PDIP politician who was Regent of Brebes (2002–2010). Wurja is a Gerindra Party politician who served as Deputy Chair of the Brebes DPRD (2019–2024). He was re-elected in 2024 but resigned to run as Deputy Regent against an empty ballot.
In Sukoharjo, the single pair is Etik Suryani and Eko Sapto Purnomo. Etik has served as Regent of Sukoharjo since 2021, succeeding her husband Wardoyo Wijaya, who held the office from 2010–2015 and 2016–2021. Eko, meanwhile, is Deputy Chair of the Sukoharjo DPRD from the Gerindra Party (2019–2024). He was also re-elected in 2024 but resigned to run as Deputy Regent against an empty ballot.
Comments
Post a Comment