Jakarta. According to the results of two surveys announced yesterday, Jusuf Kalla — the Golkar Party’s 2009 presidential candidate and former vice president to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono — is the most popular contender among voters to run alongside Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate Joko Widodo.
In a United Data Center (PDB) survey, the pairing was preferred by 18.8 percent of respondents. The survey, which focused on the top-three contenders ‚ Joko, Prabowo and Aburizal — spoke with 1,500 respondents in 33 provinces.
“The pairings for president and vice president are still very dynamic because many haven’t made up their minds yet,” PDB spokesman Agus Herta said.
A report by politicawave.com, which tracks political sentiment on the Internet, reached a similar conclusion: Jusuf Kalla was the most-mentioned potential running mate for Joko in Indonesian social media, followed by Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, former trade minister Gita Wirjawan, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Hatta Radjasa and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Abraham Samad.
“Joko is also the most-talked-about candidate in social media in a positive way, especially after his candidacy announcement,” Politicawave executive director Yose Rizal said on Wednesday.
PDI-P Secretary General Tjahjo Kumolo would not be drawn on the talk surrounding Jusuf Kalla.
“Why is it suddenly Jusuf Kalla’s name?” he said. “The party hasn’t discussed anything about vice-presidential candidates. We’re still focusing on the legislative elections.”
Not everyone, however, was convinced of the merits of having a more-seasoned political operator on Joko’s ticket.
“A running mate who is his senior, like Kalla, would be difficult for Jokowi, with his traditional Javanese mannerisms, to be firm with because he would consider Kalla as an elder,” Center for Strategic and International Studies analyst J. Kristiadi told the Jakarta Globe yesterday.
Source/Fuente: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/surveys-show-kalla-popularity-among-...
