'I'll vote for the best of a bad lot'
Thursday is the last day of the official presidential campaign, with only four days left to the election. An estimated 152 million people will vote for one of the five presidential tickets. The Jakarta Post asked some Jakarta people what they thought of the July 5 election.
Steven, 28, is an employee of a company that sells granite slabs in South Jakarta. He lives with his wife in Kalideres, West Jakarta:
I think having a direct presidential election is a good step for Indonesia. Well, it would be if there were good candidates whom I could trust to become reliable leaders.
However, for this year's election, I think all the candidates are unsuitable. All of them have bad track records. So I don't think the upcoming presidential election will do us any good.
At the beginning of the campaign, I frequently watched election programs on television. But recently, I have lost interest because all the candidates continuously sing the same old songs over and over again.
Ultimately, they just try to sweet talk the people. For example, when Wiranto spoke on a TV program in front of healthcare workers, he simply promised to improve the lives of healthcare workers.
Another candidate -- I forget who it was -- once spoke to the teachers in a studio audience, saying that if he were elected president, he would raise teachers' salary.
Other candidate promised to support farmers' interests by raising the prices of agricultural commodities. But what would he do for the rest of us, the consumers of the commodities? Well, he didn't tell us.
It's easy for them to talk, but their promises sound empty to me.
However, I will vote on July 5, and I will vote for the best of a bad lot.
Robert Purba, 32, is a web master whose office is located in Tebet, South Jakarta. He lives in a rented house nearby:
The presidential campaign in the capital has actually been much quieter than the campaign for the legislative elections in March in the sense that we don't see so many floats, traffic jams and crowds of supporters.
Nevertheless, the candidates are apparently using all possible means to promote their images among the voters.
I have a friend who received an order to make millions of each of several types of brochures and pamphlets for one presidential ticket.
Regardless of the quality of the messages these candidates are offering us, the presidential campaign has nevertheless been more intense than what we were used to previously.
--The Jakarta Post