Devi Asmarani, Bengkulu – Golkar Party workers here had declared in the local paper that the Wiranto campaign would draw some 25,000 people from all over this Sumatra province when it came to town.

But judging from the early turnout on Thursday, that prediction seems unrealistic. "I don't think there will even be half that many people," a member of his campaign team from Jakarta said in disappointment, scanning the sprawling Monument Park where just some 500 people were gathering shortly before the presidential contender's arrival.

In the next 30 minutes, the crowd grew, clad in various Wiranto T-shirts. But ultimately, the number of supporters who turned up did not exceed 1,500.

Golkar is big in Bengkulu province, but its presidential candidate Wiranto and his entourage are not being greeted with the same level of energy that fired up the party's legislative campaign three months ago.

Indonesians appear to be uninterested in the presidential poll. Most presidential hopefuls have also preferred limited or indoor venues over larger ones – a nod to fears of poor turnout, as well as thinning party coffers which prevent them from being able to mobilise many supporters.

On Thursday here, the blasting dangdut music performance, the high-school pom-pom girls jumping around on the stage and the retired general himself crooning his favourite song brought some life to the event.

But it was all a pale picture compared to the Golkar campaign in March. Mr Hijazi, a local party chapter chief, said: "Unlike in March, we don't need to have everyone from all over the province descending into town to attend the campaign. What we need are people who really believe in us to go back to their communities and promote our candidates."

Some experts say that many Indonesians have already made up their minds on who they will choose on July 5, so the poor turnout at campaign stops will not really make a difference to the election result.

Golkar has some right to be confident here: Its strength has been proven for over two decades. In the 1999 election, it polled 29 per cent of the votes. Though support fell to 23 per cent in the April legislative vote, it was still the biggest winner of all the parties here.

It was in this province, which has a population of one million people, that President Megawati Sukarnoputri's father, founding president Sukarno, was sent into exile in the 1930s by the Dutch colonial government and met and married her mother Fatmawati. Such historical ties helped her PDI-P defeat Golkar by a tight margin in the 1999 election.

But disappointment over the administration's performance, as well as her apparent disregard of her roots in this province, made voters turn against her in April. This resulted in a major slump in the PDI-P vote, which fell to just 8 per cent of the votes in Bengkulu, compared to 30 per cent in 1999.

Against this backdrop, Golkar leaders are optimistic about Mr Wiranto's chances in the July 5 poll. Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, who accompanied Mr Wiranto and his wife on the hustings, praised Mr Wiranto as the most capable, prepared and concerned person for the top job.

"I ask you to go home after the gathering and talk to your friends, neighbours, family, co-workers to vote for our candidates," Mr Akbar told the cheering audience.

Speaking next, Mr Wiranto promised firm leadership. "These days, many people don't feel safe living in their own country. I want to return that secure feeling to the people," he said of his security agenda.

But his stiff and staid delivery did little to fire up the crowds. Political risk analyst Budiman Moerdijat said the general's style and mannerisms during campaigning would not affect how supporters see him.

Those who turned out at such stops, he noted, were mostly people from the lower economic and education strata. They come not to listen to speeches, but to attend a gathering and see the stage performances.

Mr Wiranto did not disappoint in this regard. He let it all out when he belted out a patriotic tune to conclude the event.