M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono remains popular among the people and if an election were held today he would easily outdo his rivals, a poll said Thursday.
The Jakarta-based Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found in its latest poll that the approval rating for Yudhoyono had reached a staggering 67 percent, above the 61 percent of the popular vote he and running mate Jusuf Kalla garnered in the 2004 presidential election.
The LSI interviewed 1,227 people between Dec. 18 and Dec. 22 in all the country's 33 provinces for the poll, which has a 3 percent margin of error.
The survey also discovered that in an election held today, Yudhoyono would win by 41 percent of the vote, easily outdoing Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, who would take 17 percent, and Kalla, on 4 percent.
Yudhoyono's job approval rating is at a comfortably safe level, far above last year's 56 percent. The perception of a stable economy and rosy prospects for next year have contributed greatly to the improvement in Yudhoyono's ratings.
"In spite of real economic problems, 33 percent of the respondents had a positive perception of the overall economic condition, up from last year's 22 percent," the LSI said in a statement.
The LSI found that 48 percent of respondents were optimistic about improvements in the economic situation next year, an increase on the December 2005 figure of 40 percent.
In politics, however, Yudhoyono gets less credit. There is only slight improvement in his job approval rating for politics. Satisfaction over the general political condition increased from 28 percent last year to 33 percent this year.
LSI researcher Anis Baswedan said that in spite of the lukewarm performance, Yudhoyono's job approval rating remained high because he had no credible opposition.
"The existing opposition consists of figures from the past who have no credibility. This is an important factor that will make SBY gain the upper hand," Anis said, referring to Yudhoyono by his popular nickname.
Responding to the findings, political analyst Sukardi Rinakit of the Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate said it would be strange if Yudhoyono failed to register an improvement in his job approval.
"Everything about him has worked in his favor. He is seen as a honest and disinterested figure, and is a former general who holds a Ph.D. What's not to like?" Sukardi said.
On a more professional level, Yudhoyono was seen as capable of resolving three serious problems – the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism and the separatist conflict in Aceh province, Sukardi said.
Economist Umar Juoro of the Center for Information and Development Studies, however, warned of the possibility that Yudhoyono would turn into a risk-averse leader.
"Given his popularity, SBY is unlikely to make drastic policies that have the potential to ruin his image in 2007," Umar said.