Poll results surprises Bandarlampung residents

Poll results surprises Bandarlampung residents

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung

A resident was surprised upon learning that his favorite
candidate for Bandarlampung mayor, Abdul Hakim, had lost in the
election runoff in the city.

"So it's true that pak Jenggot lost. It means that we can't
have a native of Banten for mayor," Arifin said in thick
Javanese, referring to Abdul's nickname that he uses because he
has a beard.

Despite a large campaign budget and full support from first-
round losers, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) candidates Abdul
Hakim and running mate Zainal Iskandar lost to duo Eddy Sutrisno
and Kherlani, who were nominated by the Indonesian Democratic
Party-led coalition in the runoff by a mere 3 percent.

The official result released by the local election commission
on Sunday saw Eddy and Kherlani win 157,694 votes, against
148,666 for the pre-election favorites Abdul and Zainal. Even the
vote counting conducted by the PKS confirmed the defeat.

Still, Arifin did not take it well, believing that with
support from major parties, Abdul Hakim would eventually win
against Eddy, who has gained support from the Javanese people
living in the city.

For many Banten natives living in Bandarlampung, the defeat
was a severe blow as great hope was placed on Abdul to repeat
history. Historically, the province was under Banten's authority
during the Dutch colonial rule but no Banten people have been
elected as its leaders since. The elected leaders have been
mostly Javanese and Lampung natives.

Unlike ordinary people who judge the outcome of the election
based on ethnicity, political observers said Abdul's defeat was
due to other factors.

Observer Armen Yasir from Lampung University attributed Eddy's
victory to his popularity, strong support from the Javanese
community as well as support from the poor.

"During his campaign, Eddy did not make promises but he came
directly to the people, asking their problems and asking them to
pray that he would win so he could help them," Armen said.

He also did not distribute posters or hold campaigns like
other candidates.

A member of Eddy's campaign team, Yeli, said he did not have
much money to hold media campaigns like Abdul Hakim.

"Eddy even received donations, from tens of thousands to
hundreds of thousands, from the residents he met. He once cried
when a man hugged him in Tanjungsenang subdistrict and gave him
Rp 400,000," recalled Yeli.

Eddy said he preferred meeting poor residents since they were
honest. He said that by meeting them, he wanted those people to
know that he was one of them.

"If in the end I am elected mayor, I promise to keep on seeing
the people. By meeting them I'll discover their problems," he
said. "I'll become wagiling," he added, referring to someone who
loves to go around.