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Backgrounder: Jakarta elections, wooing Muslim voters
We take assertions that Ahok still has time reclaim a winning position with a grain of salt. We have several reasons to support our position.
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A show of tolerance: Jakarta governor Basuki (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
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pril 15 was the last day of campaigning for both candidates, the incumbent governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and his competitor Anies Baswedan. As the campaign ends and the final vote looms, tensions remain poised to flair between the two camps.
The visceral rejection of Djarot Saiful Hidayat, Ahok’s running mate, during his visit to a mosque in Tebet for the congregational Friday prayer is one, conspicuous, example. Djarot was previously scorned during a visit to At-Tin Mosque last month to commemorate the Supersemar (a letter from President Sukarno dated March 11, 1966 instructing Army commander Lt. Gen. Soeharto to restore order following the September 1965 coup attempt), despite being formally invited to attend the event by the family of former president Suharto.
The two events demonstrate the defining role played by religion in Jakarta’s election and possible beyond. The magnitude of religious sentiment has dragged Anies to the far right. Once dubbed the voice of moderate Islam, Anies has found himself surrounded by the extremist groups he previously confronted.
On the other hand, alarmed by the scale and impact of religious opinion on the campaign, Djarot sought win over public sentiment by the wearing the black cap (peci), a symbol of Islam for Indonesian Muslims, on the ballot paper. This move forced the Anies’ camp to abandon the slogan “coblos pecinya” (pierce his peci). Although we are skeptical about the impact of Djarot’s decision, the move again indicated the considerable clout of Muslim voters.
The final debate: Review
In the widely anticipated final debate on April 12, the two candidates were confronted with a number of issues on which they disagree, such as housing, education, reclamation, small enterprise and public transportation.
A couple of days before the debate, several credible pollsters showed Anies leading by up to 6 percent. This may have affected Anies’ performance during the debate as he played it safe and was less provocative than during the first round.
