Although turnout was considered relatively low (about 63 percent) during the first round of the election on July 11, Jakartans are looking forward to going to the polls on Sept. 20 to elect the next governor of Jakarta.

Some will pull the lever for Surakarta Mayor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo because they want change, and others back incumbent Governor Fauzi Bowo, unsure if the Surakarta mayor is up to the task.

Fatimah Ali, a 50-year-old Jakartan, will vote for Jokowi and Basuki Tjahaja “Ahok” Purnama as she is impressed by the way Jokowi governs Surakarta.

She cited the example how Jokowi relocated illegal street vendors to traditional markets without causing unrest. Fauzi, on the other hand, has failed to bring much-needed change to a city plagued with never-ending problems like flooding and traffic jams, says Fatimah.

A resident of Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta, she claims to have done some research on Jokowi and Ahok and concluded that they are authoritative, low-profile figures.

“I like people who don’t boast about their achievements but let their work do the talking,” she says. “People may perceive Jokowi not being assertive, but if he has good track record, why not vote for him?”

However, not all voters are convinced of Jokowi’s capability.

The fact that Fauzi is a native Jakartan and has governed the city for five years is what made Suntama, a 37-year-old neighborhood head in the densely populated area of Jembatan Besi, West Jakarta, vote for Fauzi and running mate, Nachrowi Ramli, in the first round. “I’ll vote for him again because I like to vote for someone who has the experience of governing the city. Jakarta and Solo are wildly different. I’m not a resident of Solo and I don’t know much about it either since it is too far from Jakarta. That’s why I don’t know [about Jokowi].”

Herman, a 45-year-old men’s apparel vendor at Tanah Abang is undecided. He considers Jokowi has the ideals of a good leader. “A leader has to be close to his people. If not, then there will be a gap between what the people want and what the government is doing.”

But Herman says that, as the incumbent, Fauzi knows Jakarta better and can best address the city’s woes.

According to a survey by the University of Indonesia, people like Herman account for about 30 percent of voters.

As concerns over racial and religious issues in political campaigns mount, Fatimah and Suntama say candidates’ ethnicity and religious beliefs do not influence their political views.

“I vote based on my instinct, so what’s important is to vote for someone who has been proven to lead the city,” Suntama said. “Ethnicity and religion are not my concerns.”

Fauzi and Jokowi will woo voters during the campaign from Sept. 14 to Sept. 16. There will be two televised debates organized by the Jakarta General Elections Commission.

No pollsters in the capital have yet released predictions of the result. However, a survey by Kompas daily published on Thursday showed Fauzi was better known than Jokowi: 37 percent said they knew Fauzi better, compared to 26 percent saying otherwise. Of young voters, 32 percent know Jokowi better than Fauzi, with 28 percent going the other way.

While the majority are more informed on Fauzi than Jokowi, 38 percent see the latter as a better leader. Only 22 percent favor Fauzi.

Approval of Fauzi declined with the education level of respondents. Only 15 percent from higher education backgrounds said Fauzi was more capable.

The wealthy also perceive Jokowi positively. Sixty seven percent with high incomes saw Jokowi as a positive figure, compared to 23 percent who perceive Fauzi positively. (han)

Popular

RI, Australia strengthen partnership on taxing crypto assets

Analysis: Indonesia denies normalization with Israel to enter OECD

Citroen to produce electric cars in Indonesia