Jokowi dodges question about his presidential candidacy

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - A recent survey conducted by Indonesian Circle Survey (LSI) released on Sunday points out that Joko Widodo is a popular vice presidential candidate with Aburizal Bakrie as presidential candidate. The governor of Jakarta popular as Jokowi, dodged question on such possibility. 

"I want to manage Jakarta with its traffic jam, floods, apartments, Marunda, Sunter, Muara Baru, Pluit, Cawang, Pesanggrahan, Angke," he said on Monday.

Jokowi shows a high degree of electability due to his distinct program as a regional leader of the capital city. LSI stated that Jokowi and Bakrie could get the highest support if they paired in 2014 General Election. 

According to survey conducted in March 1-8, 2013, Jokowi and Bakrie obtained 36.0 percent, surpassing other pairs such as Megawati Soekarnoputri-Jusuf Kalla who got 22.9 percent and Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa who received only 10.1 percent.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), as a party endorsing Jokowi, appreciates his work for Jakarta, as well as his refusal to comment on his high electability for 2014 General Election. "He gets a trust from Jakartans. This is an important phase for him," the Chairman of PDIP Central Board, Maruarar Sirait, said.

Sirait said Jokowi was not an ambitious man, but he appreciated that Jokowi preferred to carry on with his program for Jakarta instead of being nominated as presidential candidate.

Analyst from Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Jeffrie Geovanie, praised Jokowi's response. "Jokowi should not consider and design himself as 2014 presidential candidate," Geovanie said, commenting on LSI Survey.

He added that millions of Indonesian would still ask Jokowi to be a presidential candidate for 2014 despite his refusal. "Naturally, the support will come as late as this November. For PDIP, this is a gold opportunity to win legislative election again if they are brave enough to nominate Jokowi as presidential candidate before December 2013," he predicted. "Jokowi effect", he said, would significantly raise votes for PDIP up to 35 percent.