Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The majority of resentment toward Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat is the result of previous remarks Ahok has made, not his programs, a study suggested on Tuesday.
A recent survey commissioned by the Jakarta-based Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) revealed 47.2 percent of eligible voters had negative views of the Ahok-Djarot pair because of a statement on Quranic verse Al Maidah 51 that Ahok made during a working visit to Thousand Islands on Sept. 27, 2016, which some have deemed as insulting to Islam.
Meanwhile, 28.9 percent of respondents involved in the study slammed Ahok because of his rude public statements. Only 10.5 percent of respondents criticized him for his supposedly anti-poor policies and only 1.9 percent of eligible voters disapproved of Ahok for violating Jakartans' rights, such as freedom of expression.
"It's clear that anti-Ahok sentiment is still a determining factor. The Ahok-Djarot pair will lose the race if such sentiment continues to circulate until election day on Feb. 15," LSI researcher Ardian Sopa told journalists on Tuesday.
The study also found that anti-Ahok sentiment has benefited Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni, suggesting that the pair would win the election if voting took place today.
The study took place from Jan. 5-11 and involved 880 respondents in face-to-face interviews. (ebf)