With two recent surveys pointing to Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo’s popularity amongst the Indonesian electorate, experts predictably confirmed on Thursday that former general and Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party head Prabowo Subianto wouldn’t stand a chance against Joko in 2014
“In terms of leadership capacity and charm, Joko beats Prabowo. It has been proven during his tenure as mayor, and the public has nothing but praise for him,” Lusius Karus of election watchdog Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi) said.
“Joko at least has an abundant amount of experience in being involved in the bureaucracy,” he said, adding that Prabowo’s skills are derived from his background in the armed forces and his leadership of Gerindra.
“If people track his record, they will find that Prabowo doesn’t have the same level as integrity as Joko does,” Lusius said.
Andrinof Chaniago, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, echoed this sentiment, saying that if both Prabowo and Joko decided to run in 2014, Joko would undoubtedly trump him.
“I predict that Joko’s popularity will only grow, while Prabowo’s will gradually decline. They have very different political motives,” he said.
Andrinof added that Joko’s strengths lie in his humble profile and approachability, while people can only identify with Prabowo’s army roots.
Joko has been named the most popular presidential candidate by at least eight surveys in 2013.
by: Robertus Wardhy & SP/Carlos Paath
