Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) made it clear on Sunday that it would only announce its presidential candidate after the legislative election, dismissing rumors that it would be nominating Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on its 40th anniversary on Friday.
"We will announce our presidential and vice-presidential nominees after the legislative election on April 9," PDI-P secretary-general Tjahjo Kumolo said.
Tjahjo made the statement in response to Jokowi supporters within the PDI-P who have called on party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri to declare Jokowi the party's presidential candidate during the commemoration of the PDI-P's 40th anniversary on Jan. 10.
"We must be meticulous in choosing the president of Indonesia and the great national leader of the NKRI [Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia] [...] Ibu Megawati will be thorough and careful," he said.
Support for Jokowi's nomination has continued to grow in a number of regions, particularly in Surakarta – Jokowi's hometown. On Sunday, a man named Mayor Haristanto displayed a banner adorned with a heart-shaped design, which read: "A Love Letter for Megawati: Nominate Jokowi".
Also on Sunday, a group calling itself the Jokowi National Secretariat set up a registration booth during Car Free Day in Central Jakarta and handed out forms to those who support and want to volunteer for Jokowi's presidential ticket. The group plans to gather support across Java, Bali, North Sumatra and Aceh.
Another group, the so-called Volunteers for the 2014 President Jokowi, has sent a letter to Megawati, urging Jokowi's presidential nomination.
Though Jokowi is reportedly building a good relationship with Megawati, the PDI-P chairwoman reportedly still has presidential ambitions and is not prepared to let Jokowi stand in her way. Megawati ran for president in 2004 and 2009, losing both times to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, one of her former ministers.
A public opinion survey released last month found that the majority of PDI-P supporters disliked the idea of Megawati running for president again, preferring instead that Jokowi contest the 2014 election.
The survey, conducted by the Jakarta-based Pol-Tracking Institute, showed that of those respondents who said they would vote for the PDI-P if an election were held today, 69.25 percent said they would vote for Jokowi. Only 14.97 percent said they would vote for Megawati, who has led the party since 1999.
In the survey, the Pol-Tracking Institute also found that Jokowi was the most popular PDI-P politician among general voters, with 58.37 percent of people saying they would vote for him in a presidential election, as opposed to 7.16 percent for Megawati and 0.59 percent for her daughter, Puan Maharani.
The latest opinion polls have suggested that an early nomination for Jokowi would help the PDI-P regain its position as the largest faction in the House of Representatives.
A study by Jakarta-based think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), revealed that 29.9 percent of 1,180 people interviewed between Nov. 13 and Nov. 20, 2013, said they would vote for the PDI-P if the party nominated Jokowi as its presidential candidate.
Another recent survey by Jakarta-based pollster Indikator also found that Jokowi's perceived integrity and compassion for the people would see him gain 47.4 percent of the vote.
Trailing behind Jokowi was chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, with 15.8 percent, and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie with 12.6 percent.
"The sooner the PDI-P announces his [Jokowi's] nomination, the better because leaving the decision until the legislative election will be too late and it could hinder the party's wider electability," Ari Dwipayana, a political analyst at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta, said recently.