JAKARTA: Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto (pic) enjoys high approval ratings ahead of the start of his term this month, though he faces heightened public expectations to address economic challenges.
About 83% of Indonesians said they were optimistic or very optimistic that Prabowo could lead Indonesia to a brighter future, according to a survey released on Friday (Oct 4) by local pollster Indikator Politik. It’s the first measure of the public’s level of confidence since Prabowo won the February election by a large margin.
The poll surveyed 3,540 respondents across the nation on Sept 22-29, with a margin of error of 2.3%.
This support could give Prabowo a strong foundation to enact his platform once he is sworn in on Oct 20 and starts his five-year term. It will also test the former general’s ability to take effective policies to swiftly boost South-East Asia’s biggest economy as he sets his sights on 8% gross domestic product growth.
According to the survey, more than 60% of Indonesians pointed to rising staple food prices, job creation and poverty alleviation as pressing economic issues that need to be resolved.
Around 20% of respondents also highlighted corruption eradication, agricultural development and infrastructure improvement as key concerns, the polling showed. The majority of the public thinks corruption eradication is currently in bad shape, said Burhanuddin Muhtadi, executive director of Indikator Politik.
Prabowo promised during his campaign to advance outgoing President Joko Widodo’s business-friendly agenda to spur more investment into the US$1 trillion-dollar economy that has enjoyed steady 5% GDP growth and stable inflation in the past decade. He also vowed to create 19 million new jobs and provide free meals to over 80 million school children to bolster the world’s fourth-largest population.
Other than the broad public mandate, Prabowo has also secured the support of a parliamentary majority that should help him pass his flagship policies.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi’s public satisfaction rating dropped to 75%. It fell from 82% in the July survey - the highest during his decade-long presidency - and marked its lowest level in a year.
The incumbent has been accused of building a political dynasty before he leaves office after his ally lawmakers tried to change election rules and effectively allow his youngest son to run for regional government. The bid was eventually dropped after mass protests broke out across Jakarta and other major cities in August.
Jokowi’s eldest son is already set to become the country’s next vice-president, after he ran in tandem with Prabowo in the elections. His son-in-law is the mayor of Medan, one of Indonesia’s biggest cities, and is running for governor in North Sumatra. - Bloomberg
