Jokowi v. Prabowo: Past & Present
In 2014, polling agencies found Joko “Jokowi” Widodo leading the race. Jokowi eventually defeated Prabowo Subianto with a 6.3% margin. Today, polling agencies have also found Jokowi leading the campaign, but this time he’s leading by a significant margin of 20%. Electability figures, however, do not capture the mood in the grassroot level. To assume that Jokowi would win the race because he’s way ahead of Prabowo in terms of electability may be careless.
Jokowi & Infrastructure Narrative
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has mostly delivered on his promise to develop Indonesia’s infrastructure. It is therefore natural that the President would use the many examples of his successful projects in his campaign. Nevertheless, Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno (Prabowo-Sandi) have been working to counter said narrative.
Campaign Trails
Prabowo Subianto, his running mate Sandiaga Uno, and their campaign team members continue to make dramatic statements. Last night, Prabowo delivered his speech at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), though he fell short from promising to withdraw in the event of fraud, his campaign team chief Djoko Santoso had already mentioned said intention. The incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, his running mate K.H. Ma’ruf Amin, and their campaign team, meanwhile, are being investigated by the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) on allegation of violation related to Jokowi’s televised speech.
Kominfo and the War Against Hoaxes
The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) has had a hectic start of the year. Hoaxes have frequently been appearing, and the Kominfo, with the management of public information as one of their core functions, must stand on the frontline. The Kominfo’s Communications Office published a report on the hoaxes they’ve had to deal with in the first two weeks of January 2019. In the report are hoaxes that we didn’t even know.
Islam Politics & Central Java Battlegrounds
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo continues to strengthen his influence in Islamic political circles. On Friday (Jan. 11), he met with the leaders of the GP Ansor, the youth-wing of the largest Muslim organization in the country the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), at the State Palace in Jakarta. In the meantime, Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno’s (Prabowo-Sandi) national campaign team (BPN) officiated the opening of their headquarters in Solo, Central Java.
Jokowi & Regeneration Issue in PDIP
The ruling party PDIP celebrated its 46th anniversary on Wednesday (Jan. 10). The Party’s Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri gave a speech in the opening of the event held at the Hall-C JI-Expo in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who is a member of the Party, gave a speech as well. Neither Jokowi nor Megawati, however, mentioned the agenda of regeneration.
Understanding the Latest Electability Figures
Polling agency Indikator Politik Indonesia have released the result of their electability survey. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his running mate KH Ma’ruf Amin (Jokowi-Amin) are still leading the race over Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno (Prabowo-Sandi) by a significant margin. The question now is whether Jokowi-Amin can maintain their lead.
SBY’s Politics & His Dramatic Party
The chairman of Democratic Party Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) is known for his “politik santun” (well-mannered politics). Indeed, he has mostly kept to himself in this campaign season. He has also asked everyone in his side to maintain a peaceful election. His party executives, on other hand, have been making dramatic statements and attacking President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Will this backfire on SBY and the Democratic Party?
Update on the TNI-POLRI Operation in Nduga
In early December 2018, a separatist group massacred the employees of PT Istaka Karya who were working on a section of the Trans Papua Road in Nduga, Papua. Since then, both the Military (TNI) and the Police have been on the hunt. Close to Christmas, however, the Governor of Papua Lukas Enembe advised the authorities to cool down. The advice was taken. National Police (POLRI) Chief General Tito Karnavian told the press that the locals highly respected the Church and so the hunt was put to rest. Now that we have past the first week of January, what is the situation in Nduga?
PSI’s Hoax Award
The Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) knows how to earn headlines. After adopting a strong stance against polygamy, they gave a Hoax Award—complete with a trophy and a certificate—each to Prabowo Subianto, Andi Arief, and Sandiaga Uno. The Secretary General of PSI Raja Juli Antoni told the press last week that the three men had launched a tsunami of lies, and for that they deserve the award.