Jakarta. Political tension escalated following the decision by the biggest opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to name the hugely popular Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo as its presidential candidate, with doubts looming over his ability to rule the country.
Joko’s nomination was the latest blow to the partnership betweeen between PDI-P and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) — which already showed signs of unraveling in the months after Joko’s successful bid for the Jakarta governor’s seat. Gerindra founder and presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto has publicly accused PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri of violating a 2009 political agreement — dubbed the Batu Tulis Pact — under which the opposition party pledged support for Prabowo’s presidential bid in 2014.
The two previously ran a failed campaign together in the 2009 presidential election. Later, in 2012, they linked up again as their two parties formed a coalition that helped Joko secure the Jakarta governorship — a move many believed foreshadowed another political partnership for the 2014 presidential race.
Prabowo took a moment from stumping last Sunday to recite a poem before a packed house at the capital’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The poem implored Indonesians to not vote for a “liar” or a leader who was well-mannered but dishonest in a not-so-subtle jab at the down-to-earth Jakarta governor. The act drew controversy, with some claiming the former lieutenant general behaved petulantly by displaying his fear. Previously Prabowo, in another apparent attack against Joko, had cautioned voters not to choose a “puppet presidential candidate.”
However, some said Prabowo’s actions were still in line with common political maneuvering. The former Kopassus special forces leader warning regarding “puppet presidential candidate” was typical of Indonesian campaigning and should not be classified as a “black campaign,” said Umar S. Bakrie, secretary general of the Indonesian Research and Public Opinion Association (Aropi).
“Revealing the opponent’s track record, like Gerindra’s chairman did, should be classified as political education because it would enlighten voters,” Umar said, adding that Prabowo’s strong statements were nothing out of the ordinary. “The public needs to monitor potential leaders closely by scouring through their track records and moral integrity. The people of Indonesia are easily swayed by popularity, which can be the product of a manufactured public image.”
For others the motivations behind Joko’s presidential nod by PDI-P chairwoman Megawati, a woman who, in all likelihood, would have made another run for Istana Merdeka, raise suspicions. Megawati must have a hidden agenda in nominating Joko, Maswadi Rauf, political analyst from University of Indonesia, said.
The political analyst described Megawati’s management of her political party as similar to the way she treats her family; she rarely trusts anyone outside her inner circle to hold a strategic position and often single-handedly makes the tactical decisions for the PDI-P, according to a report in the political news portal Gresnews.com.
He said the party should have learned from past experience that leadership should be a collegial effort.
Still, the fear that Joko may become a puppet president is not entirely baseless, said Agung Suprio, a political communications expert. The Jakarta governor is known to be a faithful supporter of both Megawati and her party.
“The impression of a puppet president was triggered by the fact that Joko is unbelievably obedient to Megawati,” Agung said. “In a political party where nepotism prevails, Joko managed to be named the presidential candidate because he was able to please its chairman.”
Joko’s blind faith could affect the way he runs the country if he was elected president, Agung warned.
“There is fear that Joko will lack independence in making decisions, especially on policies that would heavily impact a large number of people,” he said.
Maswadi echoed the sentiment, warning that if Joko became president, there is a possibility that Megawati would be right behind him, controlling his every move.
Another political analyst, Indria Samego, shared a different view, saying that Megawati has shown a significant change by naming Joko as a candidate.
In the 2009 election, he said, the chairwoman obviously controlled her political party with an iron grip. But Megawati gradually demonstrated that she was willing to delegate important tasks and hand over some power to another figure.
“This is a very significant change, and, therefore, we should not assume the worst,” Indria said.
The Indonesian Youth Front for Struggle (FPPI) said it was too soon to assume that Joko would be a puppet of Megawati. FPPI head Ferry Widodo added that someone as intelligent as Joko would not let himself be easily manipulated by anyone, including the head of the PDI-P.
Joko himself said he believes Indonesian voters were mature enough to resist provocation through attempts to smear his character, adding that he was quite familiar with malicious political maneuvers by his opponents.
“Attacks have happened during my first and second election in Solo and during the gubernatorial election in Jakarta, I am used to being insulted, I will not respond to such things,” Joko said. “Our people are not stupid, they are intelligent enough, they know what to do.”
Prior to Joko’s entry in the presidential race, Prabowo was seen as the candidate to beat. However, many say his bid could end before it begins due to a lack of party support. The PDI-P won 14 percent of the vote in 2009, while Gerindra only garnered 4.5 percent.
Analysts say Prabowo may have burned his bridges with the PDI-P by glorifying his role in last year’s Jakarta gubernatorial race. Although she did not mention Prabowo by name, Megawati blasted “free riders” taking credit for Joko’s victory.
A group named the New Jakarta Advocacy Team, which supported Joko and his deputy Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, in their gubernatorial campaign in 2012, said last week that they would file a lawsuit against Joko for accepting the presidential nomination. The team demanded that Joko remains in his post until the end of his term in 2017. But another group, the Jokowi National Secretariat, said the lawsuit was a blatant attempt to smear the governor.
Regardless, voters will likely see more of this in the coming months. Public disappointment over Joko’s decision to mount a presidential bid less than half-way through his term as governor of Jakarta could serve as ammunition for his political rivals, Firman Noor, a political analyst from the Indonesia Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said. The verbal attacks are mainly aimed at Joko’s integrity, who during his gubernatorial campaign promised to serve as governor for the full five-year term and to help overcome Jakarta’s problems.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/tension-bubbles-amid-charges-black-c...
