Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Two presidential contenders took their rivalry to another level when they crooned to a live audience on one of the country's most watched talent contest over the weekend.
Mr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Mr Wiranto showed their lighter side and their musical skills on Saturday by appearing as guest performers in the grand finale of the Akademi Fantasi Indosiar (AFI), the Indonesian version of American Idol.
Another contender, Dr Amien Rais, had planned to join in but could not make it to the show as he was out of town campaigning. Incumbent President Megawati Sukarnoputri sent her daughter Puan Maharani to represent her at the event. The children and grandchildren of Mr Hamzah Haz were also seen among the audience.
The candidates' attendance and participation in the event brought an ironic twist to their own rivalries, as cartoons and commentators in local media have likened the presidential election to the singing contest, which is patterned after the popular La Academia in Mexico.
Like American Idol, teary-eyed contestants are often sent home in several elimination phases. Similarly, the July 5 presidential election will go into a run-off in September with the two top winners contesting each other, in the event that no majority winner emerges.
On the nationally broadcasted event on Saturday, both Mr Wiranto and Mr Bambang sang their pick of songs as a panel of three judges comprising the country's top musicians offered comments at the end of their performances.
Mr Wiranto, who sang the solemn Indonesia Beautiful, was praised by one of the judges, jazz singer Trie Utami. "What exactly do you want to be when you grow up?" Ms Trie asked the retired general jokingly, hinting at his renowned penchant for singing.
Later in the show, Mr Bambang sang a contemporary ballad by the band Jamrud called There's A Rainbow In Your Eyes. Judge Erwin Gutawa said of his performance: "For a vocalist armed only with courage like yourself, you made a good decision to sing a popular song." Mr Bambang's appearance drew thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, a clear indication of his widespread popularity.
But some of the show's die-hard fans grumbled that their appearances were a vote-getting ploy. Indeed, Mr Wiranto used the occasion to address a recent campaign against him, in which a music VCD bearing AFI symbols and scenes from the talent show were manipulated to air calls for people not to vote for him.
"From the beginning, I had already suspected that a third party had tried to used AFI's name for something malicious," he said during the show.
Candidates are increasingly using the media as a platform for their campaign, as running mates of the candidates participated in a TV debate on Trans TV channel last night. Analysts said this lighter side of the campaign proved that Indonesians were becoming wary of listening to promises made by candidates at their rallies.
And with much of the media attention diverted to the ongoing Euro 2004 football tournament in Portugal, some candidates such as Dr Amien have been wooing voters by taking the role of match commentators on live football telecasts.
In the past week, the Koran Tempo daily has been running a series of articles on the football event written by presidential candidates and their running mates on its front pages.
But even in regular rallies, candidates such as Mr Wiranto often conclude the event by singing to supporters, especially when they appear to be getting bored with listening to party platforms.