TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jokowi-Ma’ruf National Campaign Team (TKN) has admitted that the electability rate of rival ticket Prabowo-Sandiaga is higher than that of Jokowi-Ma’ruf in parts of Sumatera, Banten, West Java and Jakarta.

The TKN made the statement during a consolidation meeting with a number of regional heads and parliamentary leaders at Hotel Borobodur, Jakarta, on Sunday, March 17, 2019.

TKN daily caretaker Moeldoko said hoaxes remained rampant in the regions and people had fallen for them despite ceaseless clarifications.

“There is an anomaly in the society, which is lost logic. Post-truth happened. People fell for the circulating, massive hoaxes.

TKN deputy secretary Verry Surya Hendrawan seconded Moeldoko’s opinion. He said according to the latest poll by Saiful Mujani Research Center (SMRC), around six percent of respondents believed Jokowi was part of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

“These PKI issues have been circulating for quite some time. It is our homework to eliminate them,” he said.

Read: Hoaxes Have Negative Influence on Jokowi`s Electability: SMRC

Besides hoaxes, he added, religious sentiments and the likes had also taken a toll on Jokowi’s electability.

“People in West Sumatra are still influenced by religious issues, and [we are falling behind Prabowo] in South Sumatera and Riau on issues on the prices of palm and rubber commodities,” Verry added.

Jokowi’s electability was also lagging behind Prabowo’s in Banten, the hometown of his running-mate, Ma’ruf Amin—albeit insignificant.

“The difference is only within the margin error of one to two percent,” he said.

However, Verry claimed that Jokowi's electability generally remained at a safe level of 57 percent. “The voters’ stability reaches 80 percent. So now our concern is the abstainers,” he said.

DEWI NURITA