Jakarta – Blame it on Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. It is a moot point whether the checkered shirt that Jokowi wore while on the campaign trail contributed to his win, but for those eager to copy his success, their wardrobe choice is clear.
Today, plaid and checkered shirts are no longer the sartorial preference of cash-strapped grunge musicians. In almost any regional election in the nation, there will be one ticket whose candidates wear matching plaid shirts, usually red, white and black.
The candidates following Jokowi's lead include La Ode Azis and HT Jusrin, who are running in Southeast Sulawesi's gubernatorial poll; Hariyono Abdul Bari and Hamduddin Iksan, who are running to lead the regency of Sampang, East Java; Rudiyanto Asapa and Andi Nawir Pasinringi, who are running in South Sulawesi's gubernatorial election; and Tantri Hasan Aminuddin and Timbul Prihanjoko are running to lead the regency of Probolinggo, East Java.
The latest candidates to have gone plaid are Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and Teten Masduki, who have been nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to run in West Java's gubernatorial election in 2013.
Rieke and Teten were seen wearing checkered shirts identical to those sported by Jokowi when they registered with West Java General Election Commission (KPU Jawa Barat) on Saturday. "This shirt has become a symbol of change," Teten told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
Teten, an antigraft activist from Transparency International Indonesia (TII), said that he hoped that he could emulate Jokowi's spirit of change by wearing a checkered shirt.
"Rieke and I happen to share views similar to those of Pak Jokowi, and we decided to wear shirts identical to his for the West Java gubernatorial election," he said.
Teten, however, said to expect a slight modification of the shirt's design. "My campaign team will work with young designers from Bandung to come up with a new design for our checkered," Teten said.
The suggestion that Rieke, a lawmaker on House of Representatives Commission IX, and Teten to wear the shirts came from none other than Jokowi himself.
Benny Hoedoro Hoed, who specializes in semiotics at the University of Indonesia, said that many politicians were eager to emulate Jokowi in hopes of repeating his success. Checkered shirts have now become a signifier for populist politics, thanks to the Jakarta governor, Benny said.
"The meaning of checkered shirts has shifted. Now, any leader who wears a checkered shirt is expected to embody Jokowi, and they'd like to be portrayed as being close to the people," Benny said.
However, Benny warned candidates and their fashion consultants that the clothes do not make the man. Donning a plaid shirt alone is no guarantee of victory at the polls, according to Benny.
"When they [candidates] wear the shirts, the public will also assess whether they have the same traits as Jokowi. Ultimately, it will depend on the quality of individuals who wear the shirt," he said.
Politics aside, those who have benefitted from candidates' new-found preference for checkered shirts are the vendors who hawk them, many of whom have reported reaping windfall profits.
Heri, an ojek motorcycle taxi driver, said that he could still make money from a side job selling checkered shirts on a corner of Jl. Surabaya, in Central Jakarta, even after the Jakarta gubernatorial election ended in September.
"I used to sell 50 checkered shirts a day during the election period," he said. "Some people have started to ask me whether I sell the shirts worn by Rieke and Teten."
Heri sells short-sleeve Jokowi shirts for Rp 80,000 (US$8.31) and long sleeve ones for Rp 125,000. (riz)