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Military bias, Masyumi grievance impede Jokowi in Sumatra
Campaign team chairman Erick Thohir said that while he was confident that Jokowi could pull ahead in South Sumatra and Riau, West Sumatra and Aceh remained sticking points.
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, in traditional Aceh attire, and First Lady Iriana, in the traditional dress of West Sumatra's Minangkabau people, take a selfie before attending a flag-hoisting ceremony at Merdeka Palace on Aug. 17, 2018. (Courtesy of Presidential Palace/-)
W
ith little over a month to go until election day, the rival presidential campaigns are ramping up their efforts to garner support in their opponent’s strongholds.
But while President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has managed to gain significant ground in provinces like West Java and Banten, which challenger Prabowo Subianto won by wide margins in 2014, the island of Sumatra remains a challenge for the incumbent.
In 2014, four out of the 10 provinces that Prabowo won were located in Sumatra, namely West Sumatra, Aceh, South Sumatra and Riau. Prabowo had the slight edge overall, garnering 50.25 percent of the 26 million votes cast on the island.
While South Sumatra and Riau were close races, with margins of less than 5 percent, Prabowo won West Sumatra in a landslide, amassing 76.92 percent of the vote, and won Aceh with 54.39 percent of the vote.
Jokowi-Ma’ruf Amin campaign team chairman Erick Thohir said that while he was confident Jokowi could pull ahead in South Sumatra and Riau, West Sumatra and Aceh remained sticking points.
“We are weak in West Sumatra and Aceh,” Erick told reporters at a recent press briefing, adding that he was not sure why the two provinces remained strongly in Prabowo’s grip.
A January survey from Jakarta-based pollster Charta Politika found that while he led nationally, Jokowi lagged in Sumatra, with a 43 percent electability rate compared to Prabowo’s 49 percent.
