Believing in the democratic value that everyone has the same right to be a presidential candidate, Rhoma Irama, the country’s king of dangdut music, says that he is ready to go the distance in the 2014 presidential election.

Rhoma, who was born in Tasikmalaya as Raden Oma Irama, was quoted by tribunnews.com on Tuesday as saying that he was ready to run for the country’s top post if Indonesian people wanted him to.

So far, the Wasiat Ulama association and the Indonesia Malay Musicians Association (PAMMI) have endorsed the 65-year-old singer as their preferred presidential hopeful.

“Rhoma Irama has led his dangdut group Soneta for 40 years. The group is still going strong now, so it is a proof that Rhoma has good sense of leadership,” said Fachrurozy Ishaq, one of the leaders of Wasiat Ulama, in Jakarta last week.

The Wasiat Ulama stands ready to approac...