Millenials the deciding factor
Indonesian presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto woo young voters in crucial election.
JaKaRTa: “Mama, just killed a man,” sings Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a recent ride in a local YouTube celebrity’s car while Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody plays in the background.
The video, which also shows Joko dressed in a red zip-up jacket and jeans chatting about family life and the pressures of running the world’s third-largest democracy, was the brainchild of a backroom team that has become a vital part of his campaign for re-election on April 17.
The team, comprised mainly of people in their 20s, has a sleek, highrise office in central Jakarta.
On a recent visit, Reuters saw the team’s data of social media activity on Indonesia’s presidential election displayed on LED screens.
Joko’s aides say the team uses the data to determine the pop culture references the president will make in his next speech – he’s done Games of Thrones andthe Avengers already – or the sneakers he might wear to an event to appeal to young voters.
Joko’s sons also sometimes advise him on outfits or speeches, according to one senior campaign aide.
Millennials – those aged 17 to 35 – account for over one-third of Indonesia’s 193 million voters. Both Joko and his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, have ramped up efforts to appeal to them.
“Just because of the sheer size of that voter base, the millennials will play an important role in deciding the direction of the election,” said Djayadi Hanan of pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting.
Most opinion polls show Joko, 57, holding a double-digit lead over his opponent. A recent survey by pollster Roy Morgan showed 60% of youths favouring Joko, but both campaigns say wooing the country’s largely apolitical youth is hard.
A former furniture maker who grew up in a riverside slum and is the first national leader to come from outside the political and military elite, Joko’s everyman image resonated in 2014 with voters tired of the old guard.
But since taking office, aides say, young supporters “no longer recognised” Joko and he was advised to project a more relaxed image.
That’s where the backroom team came in.
“We’re able to see in real time what does well or what people react negatively to ... we were very blunt in conveying that to the president,” the senior campaign aide said.
Where his rival wears fitted suits and oxford shoes, Joko sports a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, jeans and brightly coloured sneakers.
Taking a page from Indian Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s playbook, Joko has started using a holographic projection of himself to address voters at campaign rallies.
Analysts say Prabowo is less popular among youths, in part due to a strongman image stemming from his time as special forces chief under authoritarian ruler Suharto.
Aides have suggested softening the image of the 67-year-old, so he now wears a khaki shirt and aviator sunglasses at campaign rallies.
“It was rare to see his lighter side and sense of humour. We have tried to expose that side of him,” said campaign spokesman Dahnil Anzar. Prabowo’s team has also posted a photograph of him with his cat, which was popular online. The cat now has its own Instagram account.
Prabowo’s running mate, businessman Sandiaga Uno, was chosen in part for his massive appeal with young and female voters.
Still, many young voters want policy pledges to address job creation and youth unemployment, not campaign gimmicks.
Unemployment, at about 5%, is one of the highest in South-East Asia.
“Our biggest concern is how to get a job after we graduate and which leader can give us that,” said student Haliza Aulia Madina, 19, who supports Prabowo.