Jakarta – The public is demanding that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo keep his distance from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), according to a recent survey.
The survey, conducted by the Indonesian Group of Public Opinion Discussion and Studies, showed 34.4 percent of respondents wanted Jokowi to maintain a distance from his political party.
"The public deems that Jokowi is still facing difficulties breaking free of the PDI-P's influence," Paramadina University political communication observer Hendri Satrio said on Sunday as quoted by kompas.com during the release of the survey in Jakarta.
Hendri said the survey showed that the public expected Jokowi could be independent in making decisions.
Based on the survey, 60.7 percent of respondents said Jokowi was still under the influence of his party, which leads the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition at the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, 32.2 percent of respondents viewed that Jokowi should maintain good ties with the PDI-P, which is led by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.