Jokowi stays real in tight election race

Joko Widodo has lost his lead in the race to be Indonesia's next president, but he is staying true to his slogan "Jokowi adalah kita" - "Jokowi is us".

Thousands of Jakarta citizens waited hours at a rally for presidential hopeful Joko Widodo, but when he finally arrived on stage, he saw their outstretched arms and turned back.

Standing above the people is not Jokowi's style.

Instead, he tied a free bandanna around his head and walked off the stage.

Police and organisers exchanged worried glances, but Jokowi ignored their advice and spoke from in front of the platform.

"Today, we're here to fight money politics, to fight election cheating," he said.

"Watch your neighbourhood, don't let anyone distribute money to buy votes."

Jakarta's popular governor was the favourite for the July 9 election, but the more than 20 per cent lead he had over Prabowo Subianto in March has almost vanished.

The race has polarised voters and there have been some spiteful smear campaigns, including one questioning Jokowi's religion.

At this central Jakarta rally on Thursday, supporters were encouraged not to engage in any nastiness.

Rock bands played to the open-air crowd, but the most popular song was any cover of Jokowi's catchy campaign song "Salam Dua Jari" (Two-Finger Greeting) - referring to his number two placing on the ballot paper.

One warm-up act was supporter Ahmad Nasihun, who told the crowd he had walked about 500km across Java to collect signatures on a large rolled-up sheet.

"Without our help, who will help Jokowi, poor Jokowi?" Ahmad said.

A more typical Jokowi supporter, but no less passionate, was university student Dimas.

"I hashtag for Jokowi on Facebook and Twitter," he said. "Jokowi is humble, he's a people person."

After his brief speech, hundreds swarmed the candidate and a scuffle broke out when a woman tried to make off with a haul of free campaign merchandise.

When it was clear they were not going to let him leave the stadium easily, Jokowi stood on the sill of his car door and waved - one more photo for the people.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world