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Muslim voters willing to vote for Ahok-Djarot: Surveys
Religion card: Residents pass a banner urging people to vote for a Muslim gubernatorial candidate in Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, on Friday
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span class="inline inline-center">Religion card: Residents pass a banner urging people to vote for a Muslim gubernatorial candidate in Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, on Friday. Banners with similar messages have been popping up all around the capital.(JP/Ricky Yudhistira)
Despite a series of sectarian attacks, incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama managed to make it to the second round of the gubernatorial election.
Recent surveys conducted after the first round show that the Christian and ethnic Chinese governor may have a chance to win the runoff election given that a significant number of Muslim voters are still willing to vote for him, despite rising sentiment against him following allegations that he insulted the Quran.
A survey released by pollster Unified Data Center on Friday showed that Ahok garnered a significant amount of support, including in areas where Muslim voters made up the majority of residents.
In Tegal Parang, South Jakarta, for instance, where Muslim voters account for 96.2 percent or residents, around 23.1 percent voted for Ahok and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat, while 62.7 percent voted for Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno. The eliminated pair of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni only got 14.2 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, in Rawa Terate, East Jakarta, where 96.6 percent of voters are Muslim, Ahok obtained 32 percent of the vote, second to Anies with 42.4 percent. Agus took only 25.6 percent.
“It is true that Ahok did not win in those areas but he also got significant votes and even beat Agus. The votes of Muslim voters are scattered, not focused on one candidate,” said Unified Data Center researcher Agus Herta Soemarto.
On Feb. 15, 5.5 million people voted during the first round of the gubernatorial election. Ahok came first, securing 42.99 percent of the vote, followed by Anies with 39.95 percent and Agus with 17.05 percent.
To win the election, a candidate has to secure more than 50 percent of the vote. Hence, Ahok and Anies will battle against each other in the second round of the election scheduled for April 19.
Ahok is not supported by any Islamic parties. He is backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar Party, NasDem Party and Hanura Party, while Anies is supported by the Gerindra Party and Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
“Muslim voters are rational. They want a change or want the incumbent to continue his program,” Agus said.
Another survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Circle from Feb. 27 until March 3 showed that Ahok could secure 36.02 percent of Muslim votes, while Anies could obtain 55.04 percent.
Non-Muslim voters, however, showed strong support for Ahok, with 86.58 percent indicating they would vote for Ahok, while Anies only obtained 3.65 percent, according to the survey.
The Unified Data Center’s survey also showed a similar trend. Agus said that in areas where the majority of voters were non-Muslims, Ahok looked likely to win by a landslide.
He cited the example of Mangga Besar, where non-Muslims account for 60.3 percent of voters.
In the area, Ahok secured 73.4 percent of the vote, followed by Anies with 18.1 percent and Agus with 8.5 percent.
Indonesian Institute of Sciences political analyst Siti Zuhro urged both candidates to refrain from playing ethnic and religious cards ahead of the runoff because Jakarta residents were already educated enough.
“Such issues create setbacks for our democracy in Jakarta. We should just respect each other,” she said.
