A group of dangdut singers, stage actors and comedians of native Jakarta (Betawi) ancestry have thrown their weight behind the presidential bid of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie
group of dangdut singers, stage actors and comedians of native Jakarta (Betawi) ancestry have thrown their weight behind the presidential bid of Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie.
The Betawi stage performers, who group themselves under "Relawan Beringin" (Banyan Tree Volunteers), said they supported Aburizal's candidacy because he could bring back the glory days of former dictator Gen. Soeharto.
"We as artists could live well when the New Order was in power. There was never an idle moment for us," one of the comedians, Mpok Nori, said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Other performers supporting Aburizal include dangdut singers Hamdan ATT and Irfan Mansur as well as comedian Urip Arpan.
The Golkar Party has become increasingly polarized over the nomination of Aburizal as the party's presidential candidate for the 2014 election, with more party members beginning to question his electability.
Golkar stalwart Akbar Tandjung, who currently chairs the party's board of advisors and is known to have loyal followers within the party, said recently that many party members at the regional and local levels wanted a presidential candidate other than Aburizal.
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