Josua Gantan & Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Negative campaigning directed against the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, and the limited ability of the party, better known as the PDI-P, to market itself, are the main reasons for it having failed to meet its target of 27 percent of the votes in Wednesday's legislative election, Joko Widodo, the party's presidential candidate, said on Thursday.

"In the last few weeks, we were in a good position. But at the last moment, roughly three days before [the election], the attacks were tremendous," Joko said, referring to the negative campaigns he encountered.

Among the negative campaigning Joko referred to, was the accusation that he was a mere puppet controlled by party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Prabowo Subianto, the presidential hopeful of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) who is also the party's chief patron, is seen as the person who popularized the accusation. According to most polls results, Prabowo would be Joko's main rival in the upcoming presidential election.

"To those who make that allegation, let me just say, Megawati as party chairman, was big-hearted enough to nominate someone else [to be the party's presidential candidate]. Are any other party leaders willing to do that?" Joko said in response to the accusation.

There was also an accusation of Joko's son being involved in corruption related to the procurement of TransJakarta buses. The allegation of corruption stems from the fact that some of the newly procured buses were found to be rusty and in poor condition.

In response to the TransJakarta bus corruption accusation, Joko replied, "you know, we procured the buses by means of competitive bidding. It was beyond our control who won the bid. As the governor, I could not determine that, for instance, Mercedes or Volvo [would win the bid]. My son has never been to Jakarta. My son is in Solo [Central Java] running his own small catering business."

Poor marketing

While Joko emphasized that the timing of his nomination as the party's presidential candidate was just right, he admitted that the PDI-P's insufficient presence in the media also played a role in its less-than-satisfactory performance.

"I think the time of the announcement [of my candidacy] was appropriate. But we did not follow it up with constant political marketing," Joko said, during a visit to BeritaSatu Media Holdings, following a TV interview. "We had limitations. After the announcement, there should have been intensive marketing over the following weeks. However, it was only done during the last three days. It should have been done over three weeks."

Indeed, as a consequence, the impact of Joko's presidential candidacy – the so-called Jokowi effect – was diminished. "When we checked reports in the field, many people said they did not know that the PDI-P nominated Jokowi. Surveys also showed the same," Joko added.

Meanwhile, Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, noted that Megawati's move to form an alliance with Surya Paloh and the NasDem party would improve the PDI-P's lack of media presence.

"Megawati finally realizes that if you don't have a television [station], then you have to cooperate with somebody who does own one," Ikrar told the Jakarta Globe.

Joko was also quick to deny rumors that disunity in the PDI-P contributed to the party's poor showing. However, analysts contend that discord within the party was the main reason for the PDI-P having only attracted 19 percent of the votes.

'Biggest challenge'

Ikrar explained that dissension within the PDI-P was the party's main obstacle. "The biggest challenge that the PDI-P faces comes from within. They are still blaming each other. Some still take credit for themselves. There are those who blame Jokowi," Ikrar said.

"Puan [Maharani] is the one who always attempts to diminish someone prospective in the PDI-P," Ikrar told the Jakarta Globe, referring to the daughter of party leader Megawati. Puan, who acted as chairman of the party's campaign team, was seen by analysts as a stumbling block to Joko's chances.

Yunarto Wijaya, executive director of Charta Politika, went as far as claiming that Puan had been responsible for the PDI-P's poor performance.

"The figure of Jokowi was not showcased in its advertisements; the focus was on Puan," Yunarto pointed out. "The PDI-P misplaced its focus on its 'Indonesia Hebat' ['Indonesia is Great'] advertising campaign. It looked as if Jokowi was campaigning by himself. This shows that the party is not solid."

Yunarto went on to claim that while the party's poor results in the election would not be detrimental to Joko's presidential bid, the current Jakarta governor should not expect much help from his party.

"While Jokowi was not weakened by the results of the legislative election, it left him with a clear message: don't expect too much from your own political party," Yunarto said. "The PDI-P is divided and what is needed now is internal consolidation."

A different ball game

While the PDI-P did not achieve the results that it expected in Wednesday's election, most analysts believe it would be fallacious to conclude that Joko's chances in the July 9 presidential election had been dented. The presidential election would be an entirely different ball game, most political analysts say.

"Results of the legislative election will not necessarily influence the presidential election results. It's a completely different thing," Yunarto told the Jakarta Globe.

"The presidential election depends on an individual figure's electability. Although in the legislative election the PDI-P didn't meet its target, Jokowi still has a high chance given his electability according to most polls. It is possible that voters who preferred to vote for other parties will vote for Jokowi in the presidential election."

Hamdi Muluk, an expert in politics and psychology at the University of Indonesia, holds a similar view. "It is very well possible that those who did not vote and those who voted for other parties will turn to Joko in the presidential election," Hamdi said.

Meanwhile, Joko himself banked his hopes on the fact that the presidential election is wholly different from the legislative election.

"The presidential election will differ from the legislative election," Joko said. "In the legislative election... competition was incredibly fierce, and presidential candidates were ignored [for the time being]. "In the presidential election, those who are contesting it are far fewer in number. There will probably be a maximum of three candidates. So I am optimistic about the presidential election."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/joko-attacks-poor-marketing-hurt-pdi-p/