Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A senior Democratic Party official conceded on Monday that allegations of graft surrounding former treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin had hurt the party.
"The case has contributed to a decrease in our party's popularity," said Jafar Hafsah, chairman of the Democrats' faction in the House of Representatives. "We have already prepared some efforts to restore the party's image."
Nazaruddin is alleged to be involved in a corruption scandal linked to the construction of an athletes' village in Palembang for November's Southeast Asian Games. Questions have also been raised about the alleged role played in the case by Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng, who is also a senior official in the ruling party.
Jafar said the public should understand that Nazaruddin was no longer the party's treasurer, so his decision to go to Singapore a day before investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) requested a travel ban against him was not based on party instructions.
He also said the Democrats could not vouch for Nazaruddin, who is reportedly in Singapore seeking medical treatment, despite claims by the controversial legislator that he had sought permission from the party to go abroad. Jafar added that if Nazaruddin continued to ignore a summons for questioning, the party could expel him. "It's possible he could be fired as a member of the party," he said.
Jafar's statements came a day after the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) released the results of a poll showing the Democrats had been overtaken as the most popular party in the country for the first time since the April 2009 general elections.
The survey showed that 17.9 percent of respondents would pick the Golkar Party if elections were held this month, compared to 15.5 percent for the Democrats.
However, some observers have raised doubts about the validity of the LSI poll, arguing that it was unlikely that voters jaded by allegations of graft would switch their allegiance to Golkar, given that the party has its own checkered record on that front.
According to Yunarto Widjaja, an analyst from Charta Politika, Golkar has yet to shake off the negative image generated by cases of tax manipulation allegedly involving companies linked to the family of its chairman, Aburizal Bakrie.
He also said that most swing voters lived in large cities, which would benefit the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and not Golkar, which was more popular in rural areas.
Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a researcher with rival Indonesian Survey Institute, said its polls had found the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) stood to benefit most from a slide in the Democrats' popularity. "You'd never see Golkar benefiting from the Democrats' loss," he said.