Adisti Sukma Sawitri, Jakarta – The Javanese saying "you will learn to love someone if you see them every day" has been lost on Jakarta voters. Despite massive publicity campaigns by the two governor hopefuls, most residents are still weighing-up their choices for the August poll.

A telephone survey recently conducted by the Politics Study Center of the University of Indonesia revealed that about 60 percent of 1,000 respondents have yet to decide whether to vote for Fauzi Bowo or Comr. Gen. (ret) Adang Daradjatun as the next governor.

A total of 23.2 percent of respondents said they would vote for Fauzi and his running mate, Maj. Gen (ret) Prijanto, while the remaining 15.1 percent prefer Adang and his running mate, councilor Dani Anwar.

These latest results indicate that those who had previously favored other potential candidates, such as legislator Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and retired Army general Agum Gumelar, represent the percentage of respondents yet to make up their minds over which of the two remaining candidates to choose.

The center's executive director, Sri Budi Eko Wardani, said the respondents' relatively high level of education made it difficult for them to give their hearts easily to either candidate, as the respondents were aware of the nature of politics in the country.

Eighty percent of respondents were at least high school graduates, and identified both candidates' campaign activities as "superficial" efforts.

"These voters will make up their minds only after the candidates have clarified their platforms in the official campaign season next month," she said Monday in a public discussion on voter preferences in the Jakarta governor election, in Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.

According to the center, around 65 percent of some six million eligible voters in the city come from middle-to-upper income households, are well-educated and earn a good salary.

In the absence of a good platform offered by any candidate, they might refuse to vote on election day. Jakarta may follow the in the footsteps of Surabaya and Bekasi, where voter turnout in the last local elections was only 50 to 60 percent.

Center researcher Lili Romli said candidates might try to win the election by using money to "mobilize" voters from low-income groups. He said candidates and their political parties could woo support from these voters through community organizations in the city.

"Low-income groups usually succumb to a patronage system adopted by various traditional community groups in the city. The leaders of these groups are the ones who are affiliated with a particular candidate or political party and will endorse that candidate to members of their community."

There are hundreds of these low-income community groups – usually based on ethnicity or religion – in Jakarta. The Jakarta administration itself is the main backer of more than 90 Betawi community groups.

Some of these community groups have confirmed their support for one of the two candidates. Nahdlatul Ulama, a prominent Muslim group, supports Fauzi Bowo, while the Betawi Brotherhood Forum, the largest community group in East Jakarta, is committed to backing Adang Daradjatun.