I voted!

November the 4th has finally arrived. Today is the first time I exercise my rights of living in a democratic country and vote to elect the leader that will bring the changes we all hope for.

So who did I vote? No, I didn't vote for Obama. Nor did I vote for McCain. Uhmm, so who did you vote peyo?!?!?

Sadly, I'm in no position to vote the leader of the United States. What I have the right for is to vote the leader of East Java province, Indonesia. Hooray!

So, here's the background. It's the second round of election. There were 5 candidates in the first round, and it has now been reduced to 2 candidates.

And here are the candidates:


So, who did I vote? Well, let me first give you the reasoning behind my decision:

1) Khofifah doesn't have any nickname. Karwo has a cool nickname: PakDe Karwo (Uncle Karwo).

2) Khofifah's ads suck, the same goes for her public speaking skill.

3) Karwo's ads are more tasteful, and he chose a very funny and easy to remember slogan: Coblos Brengose (Prick The Moustache).

4) Khofifah is backed by Megawati. I don't like Megawati.

5) Gus Dur, who elected Khofifah as his minister during his term, has turned his back against her and backs Karwo instead. I like Gus Dur.

6) This picture:

And so, after thoughtful consideration, I voted the candidate that I believe will be best suited to lead my province:


I decided to nyoblos brengose (prick the moustache)!

No final decision yet as to who wins the election. But I will update the post with the final result.

Surely I hope that Karwo will win, but not because I feel strongly for him. It's more like the feeling after picking a team or a horse to win the race, but without placing any bet on it. I will be happy if the team or the horse actually wins, but I won't cry over it if it loses.

So, how do I feel after exercising my rights to vote for the very first time? This street poet says it better than I ever can:

Picking a girlfriend/boyfriend is better than picking a governor

Amen brotha!