Jakarta – Jakarta citizens care more about track records and programs offered by candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial election than sectarian or racial issues, researchers find.
A poll by survey institute IndoStrategi published on Tuesday shows that the majority of Jakarta citizens are not concerned about by ethnicity, religion or race of candidates – which were brought up by some to attack incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.
"Around 29 percent of respondents believe that Jakartans could be divided by issues of ethnicity, religion or race, while 59 percent believe otherwise," IndoStrategi Executive Director Andar Nubowo said, as reported by newsportal kompas.com.
The survey, conducted from April 1 to 12, involved 1,200 respondents from five municipalities and one regency in the capital city. Ninety-one percent of respondents are Muslims.
The survey showed that 63 percent of respondents favored a Muslim taking up the top post in the capital. However, when they were offered the names of candidate hopefuls, the majority of respondents chose Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent.
Jakarta Muslims' normative views did not affect their political preferences, Andar explained. Jakartans gauged the potential of candidates through their programs and track records. They did not much care about the religious background of their leader.
"What they need [to know] is how the leader will carry out the public service," he said, adding that Jakartans' concerns about choosing a governor pertained to practical rather than normative aspects.
Meanwhile, human rights activist and founder of Change.org, Usman Hamid, said candidates using racial and religious issues to attack their opponents without promoting their own program would lose in the election.
"I predict that campaigning on [sectarian issues] will not be effective. They will bite the dust in the 2017 gubernatorial election. That is based on previous experience," Usman said, as quoted by kompas.com.
Sectarian and religious issues are mostly used to attack Ahok, who remains the most popular figure among candidate hopefuls, leaving possible opponents like former Justice and Human Rights Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra and Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini far behind.
Ahok has announce that he will run as an independent candidate in next year's election. (rin)