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Tight Indon presidential poll hit by smear campaigns: Jokowi

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s presidential race appears to have tightened dramatically less than a week before the election, with credible polling showing front-runner and Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo having lost virtually all the formidable lead he had before his nomination.

The Jakarta Post endorsed Mr Widodo (picture) for his rejection of faith-based politics, while accusing 
Mr Prabowo of affiliations with ‘religious thugs’. Photo: Reuters

The Jakarta Post endorsed Mr Widodo (picture) for his rejection of faith-based politics, while accusing
Mr Prabowo of affiliations with ‘religious thugs’. Photo: Reuters

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JAKARTA — Indonesia’s presidential race appears to have tightened dramatically less than a week before the election, with credible polling showing front-runner and Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo having lost virtually all the formidable lead he had before his nomination.

In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Mr Widodo, known for his down-to-earth demeanour, attributed this to massive smear campaigns by his opponents.

“Indeed, the black campaigns have significantly reduced our electability, but they (the authorities) turned a blind eye (to them)!” said Mr Widodo.

“There are police, the Electoral Supervisory Board and the government. They should have courage to stop such campaigns that have caused restlessness and instigated the people.

“But I am optimistic. We have been working hard and what we found in the field raised our optimism. People everywhere are enthusiastically greeting us.”

The latest blows to Mr Widodo include allegations that his mother was an activist with the banned Indonesian Communist Party and an edict from the Forum Ummat Islam group that said choosing Jokowi is haram, or forbidden to Muslims.

The most massive smear campaign was a tabloid aimed at discrediting him, which circulated among Islamic boarding schools in Java.

Obor Rakyat, or People’s Torch, abruptly described Mr Widodo as a non-Muslim of Chinese descent who was corrupt and only a “puppet candidate” of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

A recent survey by Roy Morgan Research, Australia’s best-known and longest-established market research company, found that Mr Widodo has a narrow lead of 4 percentage points over Mr Prabowo.

Its face-to-face interviews of 3,117 electors last month in all 34 provinces put the level of support for Mr Widodoat 52 per cent, compared with 48 per cent for Mr Prabowo, while 9 per cent did not say who they would support. The poll had a margin of error of 1.8 per cent.

Local polls have said Mr Prabowo is catching up, with around 40 per cent of the electorate reported to be undecided. Almost 190 million Indonesians are expected to vote.

“Actually, I do not really believe in the surveys, but they have to be taken into account for evaluation and corrections,” said Mr Widodo.

Yesterday, The Jakarta Post declared its support for Mr Widodo — the first time in its 31-year history that the newspaper has endorsed a candidate or party in a vote.

“Even though our standpoint is often clear, the Post has always stood above the political fray. But, in an election like no other, we are morally bound to not stand by and do nothing. We do not expect our endorsement to sway votes. Our deliberations are dictated (by) the values for which the Post has always stood firmly: Pluralism, human rights, civil society and reformasi,” the English-language daily said in an editorial published on its website.

The editorial cited Mr Widodo’s rejection of faith-based politics and determination to “reject the collusion of power and business”.

While the editorial did not mention Mr Prabowo by name, it called “the other candidate” a throwback to the Suharto era. It accused Mr Prabowo of affiliations with “religious thugs who forward an intolerant agenda” and a style of politics “that betrays the spirit of reformasi”.

“Rarely in an election has the choice been so definitive. Never before has a candidate ticked all the boxes on our negative checklist. And for that, we cannot do nothing,” concluded the editorial. “It is an endorsement we believe to be morally right.” AGENCIES

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