The wRap Indonesia: Dec. 3, 2014

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Who the likely Jakarta deputy governor is and a shocking hit-and-run video that has gone viral are in our wrap of stories from Indonesia the past day.

1. Mega approves: Ahok picks former Blitar mayor as his deputy

The guessing game of who would fill Jakarta’s number two position is almost over, as PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri has reportedly approved of Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s choice: Former Blitar Mayor Djarot Syaiful Hidayat. Though this defies early predictions that Ahok would select career official Sarwo Handayani, Djarot is an interesting pick as he was also once named one of the best local leaders by Tempo magazine. “Luckily, Ibu Mega has given approval for Pak Djarot,” Ahok told reporters at the city hall on Tuesday, December 2. Though Ahok is not a member of PDI-P and has been criticized for seeking Megawati’s approval on this, analysts say he needs the party’s backing as he faces an uncooperative opposition in the local city council.  

2. Gerindra member arrested for corruption, angers Prabowo 

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Tuesday arrested a Gerindra party member and local official in Bangkalan, East Java, for corruption, angering party chairman Prabowo Subianto. The retired general and former presidential candidate ranted on Twitter that there was no place for corruptors in his party. “It’s better to only have 100 members, but all of them are honest and pro-people, rather than a lot of members who are corrupt,” he tweeted. KPK Deputy Chairman Adnan Pandu Praja said in a press conference Tuesday that Fuad Amin was arrested at his house on Monday evening and has been taken to the KPK headquarters in Jakarta for questioning.

Setiap kader @Gerindra yang korupsi, langsung saya pecat. Saya juga akan evaluasi pembinaan partai terhadap yang bersangkutan. @antox_idris

— Prabowo Subianto (@Prabowo08) December 2, 2014

3. Jakarta earns almost $25k monthly from new parking meters 

Jakarta’s first automated parking meters have proven fruitful in the 3 months they’ve been in service. The 11 automated parking meters installed along Jalan Agus Salim (formerly known as Jalan Sabang) in Central Jakarta charge motorists up to IDR5,000 ($0.40) per hour. It used to be IDR3,000 from informal parking attendants. In the first few weeks, the meters collected around IDR6 million ($490) per day, but this gradually increased to about IDR10 million. “Overall in a month, the parking meters in Jalan Sabang collected about IDR300 million,” said Sunardi Sinaga, the head of Jakarta’s transportation agency, according to BeritaJakarta.com. But with ongoing sidewalk reconstruction, he predicts this could even double. 

4. Foreign gas companies Shell and Total benefit from fuel price hike

Private oil companies Shell and Total appear to be benefitting from the government’s decision to increase subsidized fuel prices on November 18. Although there are no official figures yet, anecdotal evidence suggests as much. “Last Friday, it felt like I was working at a Pertamina gas station. The queues were so long it overflowed onto the streets,” said Iis Wulandari, a Total gas station attendant on Jalan Kapten Tendean, South Jakarta. She told Tempo.co their customers have pretty much doubled.  

Ahmad Fuad, the owner of Total gas station on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, in South Tangerang, Banten, also told jpnn.com they used to only sell 700 liters per day. “We now sell 1,500 to 2,000 liters per day.” The Shell gas station on Jalan Raya Serpong, Banten, also recorded a spike in its sales from 6,000 to 9,000 liters per day.  

5. Hit-and-run video goes viral to find perpetrator

When 50-year-old Fathkun Nadjib and his two children saw motorists in trouble around kilometer 97 of the Cipularang Toll Road early Sunday morning, they stopped to help. All of a sudden, a speeding car hit Fathkun, who was standing close to a moving-car lane. The hit-and-run was caught on video, including an image of Fathkun lying unconsciously on the ground as his daughter was screaming, “Pak… Bapak, oh God, help…” The graphic 55-second video has been viewd and shared several times in an attempt to find the driver who hit Fathkun, but the incident happened so fast it seems impossible to identify the car plates. Local police said they are investigating the case.—Rappler.com