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Leave Jokowi alone: PDI-P patron
The chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Taufiq Kiemas said Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the popular Jakarta governor, should be given the chance to finish his term as governor before being nominated for the country’s top job
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he chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Taufiq Kiemas said Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the popular Jakarta governor, should be given the chance to finish his term as governor before being nominated for the country’s top job.
Taufiq said Jokowi should not be dragged into the 2014 presidential elections.
“Give him a break, pity him,” Taufiq told reporters during the launch of the Constitutional Court-sponsored center for Pancasila education in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java on Tuesday.
Taufiq also made similar comments when members of his own party floated the idea of Jokowi’s nomination in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election.
The husband of PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri was left in the cold when his wife fully supported Jokowi’s nomination by building an alliance with the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party.
A public opinion survey, conducted by the little-known Jakarta Survey Institute (LSJ), released earlier this month, found Jokowi to be the most electable political candidate for the 2014 presidential election, beating Gerindra chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto and former vice president Jusuf Kalla.
Jokowi topped the list of the 12 most electable politicians for the presidential election with 21.2 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if the election was held today.
Trailing behind Jokowi was Prabowo with 10.9 percent, People’s Conscience Party (Hanura) chairman and former Indonesian Military commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto with 9.8 percent, and Kalla with 8.9 percent.
Jokowi is even more popular than Megawati, who had the support of 7.2 percent of the respondents.
Responding to rumors that he could run for president in 2014, Jokowi said he would first focus on solving Jakarta’s chronic problems.
“I am thinking about traffic congestion and flooding, that is all. I am not thinking about that [the presidential run],” Jokowi told reporters at City Hall.
He also shrugged off speculation that he would be paired with Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan for the 2014 race.
