Jakarta. Jakarta governor and vice-governor nominees Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni visited Kepulauan Seribu — an archipelago off the north coast of Jakarta — on Wednesday (23/11) as part of their campaign.

In a speech at Kelapa (Coconut) Island, Agus said poor families in Jakarta will be given an extra financial aid of Rp 5 million ($369) each year if they are elected.

Hundreds of people had waited since early morning for Agus, who said he was proud and happy to meet the locals at Kelapa Island.

"I heard people here need better health facilities, jobs and ships. Sylvi and I will try to address these issues and reduce poverty in the islands," Agus said to loud applause.

Agus said they were especially concerned by income inequality among local residents. "All children should be able to go to school but I've received a lot of complaints that some people simply don't have the money. We will provide a solution for this," Agus said.

Agus also said he plans to offer some of the city's poverty reduction budget as grants for small and medium enterprises. Selected units can receive up to Rp 50 million in grants.

"This is not 'money politics.' This is venture capital. We want to improve your quality of life," Agus said. "We want to help the poor people as mandated by our constitution."

Agus and Sylvi have been promising a series of financial aids for various communities during their election campaign, a move some have said is against the law and not an effective way to reduce poverty or wealth gap in the capital.