Headscarves help Kalla up electability

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 05/26/2009 12:37 PM  |  Headlines

Presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto have closed their popularity rating gap with the leading ticket of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono, thanks partly to their persistence in luring Muslim voters.

An executive of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), one of the 23 parties committed to supporting Yudhoyono's re-election in July, expressed his concern about the rising electability of Golkar Party leader Kalla and his People's Conscience Party (Hanura) counterpart Wiranto.

"Despite our official allegiance to the Democratic Party to support President SBY and his running mate Boediono during the election, our internal party survey shows the popularity of the Kalla-Wiranto duet has been increasing due to their wives wearing the jilbab," PKS deputy secretary general Zulkieflimansyah said Monday, referring to the headscarf many Muslims believe is mandatory for women.

"Our party's top brass are definitely loyal to our coalition deal with the Democratic Party, but we cannot fully control the hearts of our grass roots constituents. Therefore, we will do everything we can to help them understand the jilbab is not a big issue," he added.

Kalla's wife Mufidah and Wiranto's wife Rugaya have always appeared in public wearing head-scarves, unlike First Lady Kristiani Herawati and Boediono's wife Herawati.

Zulkieflimansyah said the most recent internal survey the Muslim-based PKS conducted showed although SBY had taken lead, Kalla was moving closer, with the other presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri trailing a distant third.

Prior to the candidates' official bids, a pollster predicted Yudhoyono's unstoppable run.

Predominantly Muslim Indonesia will hold the direct presidential election on July 8.

Director of Indo Barometer survey institute Muhammad Qodari acknowledged Kalla and Wiranto appealed more to Muslim voters than the other candidates.

"Kalla is actively involved in Nahdlatul Ulama *the country's largest Islamic organization*, and that can be used as a major drawing card for Muslim voters," Qodari said.

"Symbolically, the jilbab is visually very attractive for conventional Muslim women. The clothes will do all the talking without Kalla and Wiranto needing to utter a single word."

Qodari said had Yudhoyono chosen a more "Islamic" running mate, the jilbab would remain a nonissue.

"SBY should have picked Hatta Rajasa, who represents Muslim voters because of his background with the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association *ICMI*," he said.

Yudhoyono's coalition bloc, which includes of a number of Islamic-based parties, had lashed out at SBY's decision to name Boediono, an apolitical figure and a former Bank Indonesia governor, as his running mate.

Kalla has visited a number of influential Muslim clerics across Java recently, as well as top leaders of the country's mainstream Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. (hdt)

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.