TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Political rivals gear up online campaigns
Online support: A Twitter page in support of Joko âJokowiâ Widodo-Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama for the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial race
Change Size
Online support: A Twitter page in support of Joko âJokowiâ Widodo-Basuki âAhokâ Tjahaja Purnama for the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial race. The pair received huge support from netizens who helped them win the election. (JP/Nurhayati) (JP/Nurhayati)
O
span class="inline inline-none">Online support: A Twitter page in support of Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo-Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama for the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial race. The pair received huge support from netizens who helped them win the election. (JP/Nurhayati)
Just a few strides north of Ragunan Zoo, some 30 tech-savvy youngsters sit in front of their PC monitors at the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party headquarters.
Among them is 21-year old Valdryno, who contributes content to a number of social media platforms, including Gerindra's Facebook page, Twitter tweets and Instagram snaps. 'Twenty-four hours a day, with a break now and then,' Valdryno said on Thursday.
He said that most of the team were also members of Tunas Indonesia Raya, a Gerindra youth organization, but some were hired professionals, all under 30 years of age. 'We young people have our own language to better communicate.'
The team recently conducted a survey of visitors to their social media sites, which found that, out of hundreds of respondents, many were young, aged 20 to 40. 'They want to learn about the activities of Gerindra as well as Pak Prabowo, but most also want to interact directly with party members in their respective fields,' said Valdryno, referring to Gerindra chief patron and presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto.
Gerindra's social media sites are ahead of other such sites, with 1,629,111 likes on its official Facebook page. Prabowo's page is triple that with 3,133,291 likes. Gerindra's closest rival, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), only have 40,856 likes, while the Democratic party is further down the list with 27,082 likes.
According to Valdryno, reaching out to young voters is important as nearly 30 percent of eligible voters aged 17 to 35 do not vote. Valdryno believes that social media is a simple way to build interaction between the political party and voters, so that the party knows what they want and how to deliver it. 'Where in Indonesia can you find voters who go to their political party offices and talk to party members?' he asked.
He said the social media team received and then discussed quality input in meetings to decide what would be relayed to party members.
Currently they are looking to become active in forums and are also setting up online radio streaming, in addition to their own YouTube page, as well as a website dedicated to street art. 'Creativity through social media has no bounds,' he said.
Despite his number of Facebook likes Prabowo must work hard to meet the online challenge of Jakarta Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who is considered by pollsters as the PDI-P's leading potential candidate in the 2014 election and the strongest, if not the only, rival to Prabowo.
Apart from having their own official social media accounts, the PDI-P has created legions of Facebook pages and groups in support of Jokowi for president. There are at least 29 different Facebook pages supporting a Jokowi candidacy.
Search results show 296 groups rooting for Jokowi to become president, with one group having 90,381 members.
PDI-P deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristianto said that nearly all of them were voluntary initiatives by individuals. 'What unites them all is a grand vision for a better Indonesia,' said Hasto.
He believes that social media is the epitome of grassroots democracy and reflects the voluntarist nature of citizens participating in national politics. 'Political parties are mandated by law to communicate with the public, and one way is through social media,' he said.
Hasto said that the PDI-P encouraged its members to be active in social media. He noted that some fellow party members like Eva Kusuma Sundari and Rieke Diah Pitaloka were influential in social media for their respective expertise in human rights and labor.
He said that the party did not have strict regulations on social media only guidelines.
Like any other political party, PDI-P has a situation room, as well as an opinion room, for its official social media accounts. It conducts analysis and makes recommendations to the party, and is overseen by chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.
He noted that the Internet was an important alternative to the mainstream media. Commenting on a KPU commissioner who suggested banning social media campaigns before the set period allowed for elections, Hasto said that the idea was 'excessive'.
However, not all people think that campaigning through social media is effective.
Ferry Fernando, secretary for the 'Jokowi for President' movement, which is based at PDI-P's former headquarters in Jl. Diponegoro No. 58, is still hitting the streets.
Currently they are collecting signatures for a petition, as well as setting up political donations along with similar movements around Indonesia. 'We are purely a grassroots movement, with no support from NGOs or political parties,' he said.
'It's hard work,' he added.
Valdryno said it was also hard work to garner political support; as success depended on persistence and patience. 'It is common for netizens to attack us verbally through social media, which tests our patience,' he said. 'It's a jungle out there.' (asw)
