TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ten names were submitted by volunteers belonging to the Pro Jokowi (Projo) group as possible vice-presidential running mates. They were the ones who had the best results in a number of surveys conducted in October and November. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was the one who placed highest among the names given to President Joko Widodo.
Other names selected by Projo included some who appeared in surveys conducted by Indo Barometer and PolMark, such as Agus Yudhoyono, Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, Gen. Tito Karnavian, and Puan Maharani. "It hasn’t been narrowed down to any single name," said Projo Chair Budi Arie Setiadi last week.
Budi Arie has also submitted the names of some potential vice-presidential running mates to Jokowi last September. At the time, they were holding Projo’s 3rd National Working Meeting in Kelapa Gading, Jakarta. After opening the event, he presented the names of possible vice-presidential candidates.
Because Sri Mulyani was at the top of the list, Projo provided her with a stage. Last November 22, they asked the finance minister to give a public lecture with the theme Towards the Main Strengths of the World Economy. Sri spoke about Indonesia’s economic strengths and their upcoming challenges.
Budi Arie disagreed that this was an effort to support Sri Mulyani to become Jokowi’s running mate. "We will support whoever Jokowi chooses," he said. Jokowi’s volunteers, including cabinet ministers and people close to the President, talk about candidates in WhatsApp groups.
It turns out that Jokowi is giving serious consideration to the results of the surveys being released by many institutions. According to people close to him, Jokowi routinely meets with political experts and survey-takers to discuss the names of candidates with the highest electability. These political consultants are being asked to analyze possible election outcomes if Jokowi is paired with different candidates.
Read the full article in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
