Jakarta Governor's home planted with listening devices since December

Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo unveiled on Thursday that his private residence was bugged by unknown individuals since December last year.

“I’ve known since December but I didn’t want to make a fuss out of it. I was surprised, but no hard feelings. My colleagues were apparently very angry,” he said as stated in the Jakarta Post.

The three spying devices were found in his bedroom, living room, and dining room where he usually conducts his meetings.

“What was there to eavesdrop on anyway? At home I talk about meals, kids and stuff like that with my wife. What was so interesting about my meetings with agency heads? I bet [those listening in] were frustrated because nothing interesting was said,” he added. “I don’t want to think too much about this issue.”

Jokowi laughs off the matter by saying he does not have any plans to increase security at his home.

“I already clean my house every day,” Jokowi said.

His statement came after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) members discovered the listening devices in the prominent opposition party member’s house.

Jokowi has been rumoured to be a possible PDI-P candidate for the Presidential seat this year and is seen as a threat to the other candidates vying for the position.

Meanwhile, the news portal detik.com reported that Jokowi did not make a report to the police but only reported the incident to the management of PDI-P.

A few of the senior PDI-P leaders have said that this act of spying is an example of dirty politics and that the nation’s political spectrum should be free of unfair tactics such as these.

Jokowi is one of the possible presidential candidates for this year’s Indonesian election, after numerous high-profile corruption scandals implicated the largest parties of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s ruling Democratic Party.