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Presidential hopefuls offer populist promises
With sectarian politics expected to be less prominent in the campaign season given that all the presumptive nominees are mainly backed by pro-government parties, the election is now looking to become a battle of populist ideas.
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Security guards walk in front of flags of political parties participating in the 2024 General Elections at the General Elections Commission (KPU) headquarters in Jakarta on July 24, 2023. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
Free food for children and pregnant women, free fuel for motorcyclists or a higher salary (up to Rp 30 million [US$1,954]) for teachers? Those are some of the campaign promises that have been made by the presumptive presidential and vice-presidential nominees to voters, which analysts say are largely “unrealistic”.
With sectarian politics expected to be less prominent in the campaign season given that all the presumptive nominees are mainly backed by pro-government parties, the election is now looking to become a battle of populist ideas.
Prabowo Subianto, who is backed by the Onward Indonesia Coaltion (KIM), has not only pledged to raise Indonesia to food self-sufficiency so that the country no longer relies on imports, he will also provide free meals for children and pregnant women, similar to the free food policies in countries like India and the United Kingdom.
“Pak Prabowo is determined to improve the quality of our workforce. So what’s a real and practical thing we can do to achieve that? Pak Prabowo will launch a program that is called free food,” said Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo’s brother, as quoted by kompas.com, when asked about the purpose of the program.
Critics have questioned the program’s feasibility, given that it might cost the state more than Rp 300 trillion to fund. “We have done the calculations. If we have a food estate, that’s a small number, if the food estate program works out,” Gerindra executive Habiburokhman said, referring to Prabowo’s food estate initiative.
Read also: Prabowo banks on Jokowi effect to win election
The free food program is only one of the programs proposed by the Prabowo campaign, which has portrayed the former general as the rightful “successor” to the incumbent, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, his sole competitor in the last two presidential elections.
