Ahok still a frontrunner, survey says

JAKARTA. Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama remains the strongest would-be candidate for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election, according to the latest survey by Saiful Muljani Research and Consulting (SMRC).

The semi-open poll, which was conducted from June 24 to 29, saw 646 voters give their answers in a one-on-one interview. Choosing from a list of prospective candidates, 54.5 percent of respondents said they would choose Ahok if the election was held that day, the survey said.

Ahok's name came out number one, above former justice and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra with 10.4 percent and Surabaya mayor Tri Rismaharini with 5.7 percent.

Meanwhile, when interviewers did not give participants a list of names, 36.6 percent of respondents spontaneously chose Ahok, followed by Yusril with 2.8 percent and businessman Sandiaga Uno 2.1 percent.

"The respondents believe there is evidence of his work since his tenure began in 2014," SMRC program director Sirojudin Abbas said in a press conference on Thursday.

Factors like religion and ethnicity were not important for the majority of respondents as 48 percent of those surveyed said they did not mind having a non-Muslim leader while 64 percent disagreed with the idea that members of ethnic minorities should not be leaders. Ahok, a native of East Belitung, Bangka Belitung province, is often the victim of personal attacks relating to his status as a Christian of Chinese descent.

The survey also revealed that around 10.9 percent of respondents had not yet decided who they would vote for in next year's election. This might be caused by the lack of viable potential candidates for the governor position, Sirojudin said. Only Ahok has declared that he would contest the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election despite not being clear whether he would run as an independent or on a political party ticket.