Indonesia’s election showdown: Prabowo woos ethnic Chinese, Jokowi banks on distaste for his competitor
- Prabowo’s ties with a community once wary of him reflects how his appeal may be broader than previously thought
- Jokowi is tipped to win, but the economy, millennials and views on whether he deserves a second term will be deciding factors, observers say
AS THE STRAINS of Taiwanese star Teresa Teng’s hit song The Moon Represents My Heart filled a ballroom in North Jakarta last month, an array of mobile phones were trained on the singer, Titiek Suharto.
The pair were at a dinner organised by ethnic Chinese businessmen. Prabowo – accused of human rights violations during the Suharto era, and the commander of military forces in Jakarta in May 1998 when deadly anti-Chinese riots broke out – was the special guest.
In his speech, the 67-year-old said: “If I am elected and accept the mandate, I understand that I must be a leader for all cultures, religions, races and ethnic groups.”
He stressed he did not view Indonesian Chinese, who make up about 2 per cent of the country’s 260 million population, differently from other citizens.
At the Sun City Luxury Club that night, 16 businessmen donated 460 million rupiah (US$32,000) to Prabowo’s election campaign.
He and multimillionaire entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno will face incumbent president Joko Widodo – also known as Jokowi – and Islamic scholar Ma’ruf Amin in the April 17 election.
