Jakarta – Islamic symbols will be nondeterminant factors for Indonesians electing the president and vice president in July, just as in April, an observer says.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi, an analyst at the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), expressed doubts that any presidential ticket could exploit religious symbols to win the election.
"The current trends show that there are more and more voters whose choices are driven by rational considerations rather than primordial symbolism. Religious-based politics is dead, the evidence is clear in the massive decline of votes gained by Islamic parties during the legislative elections," he said.
In the legislative elections none of the Islamic parties gained a two digit vote percentage. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fared the best by winning 8 percent of the votes.
An internal survey conducted by the PKS, one of the 23 parties that will nominate the duo of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono, found that the electability of rival presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto had increased because their wives were seen to wear headscarves.
Deputy secretary-general of the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP), Muhammad Romahurmuziy, agreed with Burhanuddin, saying that although religious symbols would still play a role in the election, their significance was steadily decreasing.
"Voters are exercising common sense. They can now tell the difference between their responsibility to the state and religion," he said.
Director of the Research Institute for Democracy and a Prosperous State (Pedoman), Fadjroel Rachman, insisted however that religion still remained relevant in Indonesian politics.
"I believe that Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto are seen as the true representation of moderate Islam because their families live a very 'Islamic' way of life," Fadjroel said.
He added that conservative Muslim voters who did not vote for Kalla's Golkar Party and Wiranto's People's Conscience Party in the legislative elections would switch to the duo in the presidential election.
Indonesia is the country with the world's largest Muslim population, but they are mostly moderate.
National Mandate Party (PAN) member Drajad Wibowo warned, that religious symbols could not be taken lightly in the elections. "We cannot deny that there is a possibility for a major upset in the coming election, especially after SBY chose Boediono as his running mate," he said.
Surveys have tipped SBY as the favorite to win reelection, but his choice of Boediono ignited anger from some of PD's Islamic party coalition partners due to his perceived links to Western neo liberalism. (hdt)