Margareth S. Aritonang, National – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the recent attacks launched against Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, for what critics say is his failure to prevent floods from recurring in the capital, was proof it was better for the party to postpone its nomination.
PDI-P secretary-general Tjahjo Kumolo said such a move was part of the party's strategy to win the presidential race.
"Every party has its own strategy to win the election. We, for example, chose to delay the announcement [of our presidential candidate] because he would be severely attacked if we announced the bid today," Tjahjo said when asked why the party had yet to nominate Jokowi.
"He [Jokowi] is already facing harsh attacks, even now when he tops the political surveys [and is not yet nominated]."
He said much criticism of Jokowi's handling of flooding problems in Jakarta was politically motivated and was likely aimed at undermining the governor's electability.
"The floods have nothing to do with a presidential candidacy, but people have continuously brought up the issue," Tjahjo said. "I understand if those who expected him to solve the flooding issues feel disappointed as we are still struggling with the matter. But please remember it takes time and collective effort to do it."
Considered a newcomer in the national political arena, Jokowi, a former Surakarta mayor, has won the hearts of many Indonesians following his 2012 election as Jakarta governor.
Approaching the elections, his name has continued to appear at the top of the list of almost all surveys as the most popular presidential candidate, although his party, the PDI-P has yet to nominate him to officially represent the party in the election.
A recent survey released by Kompas daily, for example, showed Jokowi would win 43.5 percent of the vote if an election were to take place today, followed by Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto with 11.1 percent; while Golkar Party chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie came in third with 9.2 percent.
Another survey by the Jakarta-based think tank – the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – also reached a similar conclusion, showing that if an election were held today, Jokowi would secure 34.7 percent.
Despite these conclusions, the PDI-P has refused to officially nominate Jokowi, a decision that has apparently upset the party's grass roots members.
A group of Indonesian transvestites staged a rally to express support for Jokowi's nomination last Sunday. On Wednesday, the PDI-P branch in Tasikmalaya, West Java, officially gave its support to Jokowi.
PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has signaled she may support Jokowi's candidacy. Senior PDI-P politician Panda Nababan said he was sure Megawati would not run again in the 2014 presidential election, considering her age and that her two most recent presidential bids had failed. Megawati will turn 67 this year.
Jokowi has often appeared with Megawati in what analysts say could be a move to shape Jokowi into a presidential hopeful.