JAKARTA. Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), a group of volunteers supporting Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, will hold a two-day fair on the weekend to raise funds for Ahok's independent candidacy in the 2017 Gubernatorial Election.

The event will be held at Gudang Sarinah Ecosystem in Pancoran, South Jakarta, on May 28 to 29, where Teman Ahok will sell T-Shirts and souvenirs, as well as open booths for Jakartans to submit copies of their identity cards to support the governor’s bid to win a second term for the capital's top post.

The organizers also have invited several musicians to perform at the fair such as Project Pop, rapper Saykoji, White Shoes and the Couples Company, Mocca, Sore and many others. Entrance costs varies, starting from Rp 25,000 ( US$1.80 ) for pre-sale tickets and Rp 35,000 at the gate.

Ahok, scheduled to attend the fair, lauded the new style of fundraising. "This is a new thing for the country. If it runs smoothly, it would make honest people who aspire to be officials feel they won't need to spend so much money," Ahok said at City Hall on Wednesday.

He also was grateful to the Jakarta General Election Commission (KPU) as the institution would provide the budget for candidates' campaigns and debates. He praised the move as it would save candidates a significant amount of money from campaigning.

Ahok would also go on stage to perform stand-up comedy at the event.

Teman Ahok spokesman Singgih Widyastono said the group aimed to obtain Rp 1.4 billion from the event, which would be used for registration of Ahok and his running mate Heru Budi Hartono to the KPU in July. The Jakarta KPU opens registration for independent candidates on July 13 to 17.

The funds collected would be used for the registration process such as completing the necessary supporting documents to the Jakarta KPU and also to buy 100 laptop computers for data entry.

Meanwhile, Jakarta KPU chairman Sumarno said Teman Ahok’s fundraising fair did not violate any law regarding election campaigning, especially given the fair would be held before official registrations opened. (Callistasia Anggun Wijaya)

Editor: Dupla Kartini