Irawaty Wardany, Makassar – The issue of headscarfs looks to drag-on in the lead-up to the presidential election on July 8, although many have learned that appearances can be deceitful.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who will contest the polls along with running mate Wiranto, could not hide his disappointment with the public reaction to his and Wiranto's wives decision to wear headscarves, which he said was an intrusion into a personal decision.

"It (the intrusion) is very dangerous. The critic must not be a democratic person," Kalla said. "People have no right to determine the way others dress, not even their spouses."

An executive of the Prosperous Justice Party, which is supporting incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's reelection, said last week the electability of Kalla and Wiranto had increased since their wives, Mufidah and Rugaya, had been seen wearing headscarves in public.

Kalla's campaign team has also distributed a book about the two ladies: The devout wives of future leaders.

In response to the headscarf issue, Democratic Party (PD) deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum called on all campaign teams not to politicize religious matters as, he said, it would hurt religious plurality and, in turn, Indonesia's ideal of unity in diversity.

Despite his call, Yudhoyono's PD handed out Saturday posters depicting the President and his wife Ani Yudhoyono, who appears to wear a green headscarf, during the party's coordination meeting with 22 protesters of the coalition at Kemayoran Fair Ground on Saturday.

A group of ulemas from North Sumatra visited Kalla on Saturday to express their support for his election bid and his wife's way of dressing.

Previously, South Sulawesi's Muhammadiyah Youth and several religious groups in Makassar also confirmed their commitment to Kalla and Wiranto at an official meeting in his hometown on Friday.

Kalla stands a great chance of winning the support of Muslim voters, due to his links to the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Kalla comes from a NU family, while his mother was a member of Muhammadiyah.