Depok unfamiliar with mayoral candidates

Depok unfamiliar with mayoral candidates

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A recent telephone poll revealed that 60 percent of 300 of
Depok's eligible voters were yet to pick one of the five pairs of
candidates running for mayor and deputy mayor.

Presenting the results of the poll on the popularity of the
candidates in a press conference on Tuesday, the University of
Indonesia (UI)'s Political Science Research Center concluded that
the candidates had to work hard to reach out to undecided voters.

"The results show that the people lack adequate information on
the candidates. Therefore, the campaign teams of each pair have
to fight to gain voters from the 60 percent of undecided voters,"
said center director Sri Budi Eko Wardani.

The poll was conducted from May 27 to May 30, about one month
ahead of the election for mayor on June 26. The respondents were
randomly taken from the latest Depok telephone book issued in
2004.

Depok municipality, which is one hour's drive south of
Jakarta, is gearing up for the first ever direct mayoral
election. The campaign period will commence on Thursday and end
on June 22.

This year, a series of direct elections will take place in 200
regencies and municipalities nationwide.

The poll showed that 17 percent of respondents picked Nur
Mahmudi Ismail, former minister of forestry and former leader of
the Justice Party, which is now called the Prosperous Justice
Party (PKS).

The second most popular candidate, according to the poll, is
former mayor Badrul Kamal, with 11 percent.

Badrul ended his term in May, in preparation for the election.

The poll also found that although the majority of 86 percent
of respondents were eager to participate in the election, 67
percent were not aware of the election date, while 76 percent did
not know how many candidates were standing.

Sri Budi said the respondents' poor knowledge about the
election indicated that the Depok General Elections Commission
(KPU Depok) had not been thorough in its task of disseminating
election information.

His statement was based on the poll results that showed only 8
percent of respondents knew about the election from the KPU
Depok. Meanwhile, 31 percent got the information from newspapers
and 15 percent from their neighbors.

Nur Mahmudi and running mate Yuyun Wirasaputra were nominated
by the PKS, while Badrul and running mate Syihabuddin were named
by the Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Meanwhile, the three other mayoral candidate pairs -- Abdul
Wahab-M. Ilham Wijaya, Harun Heryana - Farkhan A.R., and Yus
Ruswandi-Soetadi Dipowongso -- did not receive significant
support from the respondents.

Wahad-Ilham were nominated by the Democratic Party, Harun-
Farkhan by the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Star Reform
Party (PBR), and the Star Crescent Party (PBB), while Yus-Soetadi
by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the
United Development Party (PPP), and the Prosperous Peace Party
(PDS).

The PKS dominated the legislative election in 2004, winning
24.49 percent of the vote of 722,225, followed by the Democratic
Party with 14.23 percent, Golkar with 14.17 percent, the PDI-P
with 10.06 percent, PAN with 8.85 percent, the PPP with 6.27
percent and the PDS with 3.59 percent.