Indonesian presidential candidate branded an ethnic Chinese Christian as campaign gets dirty
Frontrunner Joko Widodo branded an ethnic Chinese Christian as part of smear campaign ahead of presidential elections on July 9
While President Barack Obama was accused of being a Kenyan-born Muslim before being elected, in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, presidential frontrunner Joko Widodo has been branded an ethnic Chinese Christian.
Smear campaigns have escalated ahead of next Wednesday’s election, with the candidates’ supporters playing dirty to control the messages swirling in the media, a trend commentators say has contributed to a steep fall in support for Widodo.
In another attack, a senior official from the party of Prabowo Subianto, the only other contender, suggested on Twitter Widodo was a communist, playing on fears that linger from the era of dictator Suharto, who demonised the far-left.
While Widodo – known by his nickname Jokowi – has borne the brunt of the attacks, Prabowo has also been targeted.
He has been labelled a psychopath, and a YouTube video of the infamously hot-headed ex-general punching someone at an election rally went viral, even though it appeared to have been doctored.
