TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential candidate from Golkar Party, Aburizal Bakrie, said he's not scared to face Joko Widodo--should he runs for president as well. Despite Jokowi's status as a "media darling", Bakrie doesn’t see the Jakarta governor as a tough competitor.
Bakrie is keeping an eye on Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDIP) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri instead. According to Bakrie, the first female president's power reaches the lower class.
"The strongest (candidate) is Ibu Megawati," said the Golkar Chairman when visiting Tempo's office yesterday.
Ical referred to the 2009 election, when the media's favorite candidate failed to win the election. "At that time, the media darling was Pak Jusuf Kalla, but SBY won instead. So there is no need to be daunted by the media darling," he said.
However, Bakrie admitted that he has a strategy to compete with Jokowi, whose electability continues to increase due to his frequent appearances in the media. Bakrie asserted that he would rely on the two TV stations he owns as a promotional platform, believing he could be the media darling of his own TV channels.
Bakrie added that Jokowi's weakness is the fact that his candidacy lies in the hands of Megawati, who chairs his party. That's why Bakrie hasn't considered Jokowi as a competitor just yet.
Jokowi has a greater chance to be a vice president, he said. "Will Jokowi be my vice president?" he offered.
FEBRIANA FIRDAUS | REZA ADITYA
