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It’s all a numbers game now
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Your number’s up: The candidate pairs for the upcoming Jakarta 2017 gubernatorial election (left to right) Sandiaga Uno-Anies Baswedan, Djarot Saiful Hidayat-Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni show their ballot numbers at JIEXPO Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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andidates in the Jakarta gubernatorial election will hit the campaign trail on Friday, in a tight race that will see not only the country’s political heavyweights but also celebrities and influential national figures joining the campaigns.
The race for the capital’s top job, considered by many as a foretaste of the 2019 general election, is officially on after the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD Jakarta) announced on Tuesday the ballot number for each candidate pair.
On Saturday, the gubernatorial hopefuls will hold a joint rally, in a symbolic move aimed to show their commitment to creating a peaceful campaign period.
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who got ballot number two, will use the victory hand sign and tag line “Dua Periode” (two terms) in their campaign.
The incumbent has managed to retain his position as the frontrunner in the race despite the blasphemy accusations thrown against him by a number of Islamic groups.
The latest survey by Saiful Mujani Research Center (SMRC) found that Ahok was supported by 44 percent of 810 respondents, leaving Agus and Anies in a distant second and third with 22 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
The National Police are still investigating the blasphemy case against him, but the governor and his supporters seem confident it will not hurt his chances in the election.
Ahok, who was close to the late former president and pluralism icon Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, may have secured the support of some Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) figures. Last week, RelaNU, an organization under NU, praised Ahok’s leadership, saying the governor, a Christian of Chinese descent, cared a lot about the Muslim community.
Ahok has promised that Jakarta’s children from low-income families who want to attend Islamic boarding schools outside the capital will be eligible for the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) program.
In addition to seeking Muslim support, the Ahok-Djarot pair has included a band of celebrities, including actress and singer Sophia Latjuba, singers Krisdayanti and Aura Kasih and actress Cathy Sharon in their campaign team.
The Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno pair got a substantial boost after two high-profile figures, former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders Bambang Widjojanto and Adnan Pandu Praja, decided to join their team.
The involvement of the two antigraft leaders is expected to paint the Anies-Sandiaga pair as clean candidates, an image that Ahok has managed to build for himself after three years in office and which helped his ratings soar in various opinion polls.
“[This sends] a message to the public that [Anies-Sandiaga] want to fight corruption,” Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Siti Zuhro said.
Bambang said his experience as a KPK leader would help Anies build a good governing system so that the city administration would be managed by people with integrity.
Bambang, who was tapped as a possible gubernatorial candidate earlier this year, has been critical of Ahok’s policies, particularly his discretionary policy regarding the graft-ridden Jakarta Bay reclamation project.
Anies-Sandiaga, with ballot number three, will use “Salam Bersama” (greetings together) as their campaign slogan.
“From this place, we will turn number three into number one,” Anies told his supporters.
Meanwhile, a number of pollsters claim that Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono’s electability is rising. An SMRC survey has placed the Agus-Sylviana Murni pair ahead of the Anies-Sandiaga pair.
Being a political novice, many have dismissed Agus in the race. However, the former Army major has been working around the clock meeting with Jakarta’s low-income residents to make himself more visible on the political stage.
According to the SMRC survey, 89 percent of respondents said they knew Agus, while only 79 percent said they knew Anies.
Agus and Sylviana, who got ballot number one, will use the slogan “Jakarta untuk Rakyat” (Jakarta for the people) in their campaign.
“It doesn’t matter what number you get.What is important is that you can develop Jakarta for its people,” he said.
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