KUALA LUMPUR -- Before the start of official campaigning for elections in Indonesia, singer-turned-politician Once Mekel visited the Malaysian capital where more than 1,000 cheering fans had crammed into a downtown hotel to greet him.

Mekel is one of the biggest stars in Indonesia's music industry and is running as a candidate for the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in legislative elections that will be held Feb. 14 alongside a presidential vote.