11.4.14

Nahdliyins' comeback galvanizes PKB's voter turnout

JAKARTA -- The National Awakening Party (PKB), which
won 4.94 percent votes and ranked seventh in the 2009 legislative election,
surprisingly rose to the fifth position and secured 9.5 percent of the votes in
Wednesday's election.
The increase in PKB's vote turnover to about 92 percent raised questions
about the strategies PKB had adopted, which earned it a position higher
than that of the 2009 legislative election. It even overshadowed the ruling
Democratic Party (PD) in the fourth place, based on different unofficial quick
vote counts.
Some said that the PKB was able to gain more votes due to the popularity of
artist Ahmad Dani and self-styled Dangdut singer King Rhoma Irama, as
well as popular figures such as former Constitutional Court chairman Mahfud
MD and former vice president Jusuf Kalla.
However, executive director of the Indo Barometer research institute
Mohammad Qodari said the dominant factor that helped the PKB galvanize
its voter turnout was the support of Nahdliyins (members of the Indonesian
largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama/NU).
Nahdlatul Ulama, which was estimated to have members of about 35 to 40
million, was the Muslim organization instrumental to the birth of the PKB.
According to Qodari, the nearly 100 percent increase in the vote gained by
the PKB in Wednesday's legislative election was due to the support of the
Nahdlatul Ulama Muslim organization (NU).
"The increase in the votes gained by the PKB was not caused by Rhoma
Irama but by the support of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). The survey result on
the electability of the 'Dangdut' singer was low," Mohammand Qodari said
here on Thursday.
Meanwhile, communications expert Hendri Satrio of the Paramadina
University said the PKB successfully picked influential figures as its vote
getter, such as Rhoma Irama, Mahfud MD and Ahmad Dani. This made the
PKB appear different. PKB's people's convention also contributed to its
image, he added.
"If the Islamic parties established a central team, the PKB will most likely
lead it. Possibly, the PKB's strategy won the heart of some supporters so
that the PDIP's expectation to reap significant votes through what it called
the "Jokowi" effect was not completely successful," he added referring to the
presidential candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDIP).
"Jokowi effect" referred to the expectation that the nomination as a
presidential hopeful of popular Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, better known
as Jokowi, will earn PDIP many votes in the legislative elections.
"PKB had built an effective political communication strategy by involving key
figures," Hendri Satrio said here on Thursday.
However, Executive Director of the Indo Barometer Mohammad Qodari said
the achievement of the PKB in attaining 9.5 percent of the votes in
Wednesday's legislative elections, from about 5 percent in the 2009
elections, indicated that "Nahdliyins" had returned to the PKB under the
leadership of Muhaimin Iskandar.
The votes of NU members split during the "odd" period between those who
supported Muhaimin and those who supported Abdurrahman Wahid, better
known as Gus Dur.
The Indo Barometer executive director noted that the NU had played an
important role in the development of the PKB, because it was the NU that
gave birth to the PKB during the leadership of Abdurrahman Wahid.
"NU was the country's largest Muslim organization because about 30
percent of the Indonesian Muslims were NU members," Qodari said.
Qodari was of the view that the return of the Nahdliyins to channel their
political aspirations to the PKB had caused the increase in PKB's vote gains,
which almost reached 100 percent. This was due to the efforts of its general
chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, who was able to maximize his party's existing
potential.
According to Qodari, Muhaimin was prepared to accommodate figures such
as Rhoma Irama and Ahmad Dani during its campaigns and provide a post
for the chief of the Lion Air airline, Rusdi Kirana, who had financial support. It
also benefited from the popularity of former member of the Constitutional
Court Mahfud MD and former vice president Jusuf Kalla.
"PKB also benefited from the popularity of the Chairman of NU Executive
Board (PBNU) Said Aqil Siradj, who appeared in PKB's official campaign
advertisements," Qodari said.
Referring to the results of Kompas' Exit Polls analysis on the result of
political parties' vote gains, he said the Nahdliyin support played a dominant
role in contributing to the PKB's vote gain increase.
Greg Fealy, a senior lecturer in Indonesian politics at the College of Asia and
the Pacific in the Australian National University, said in an article, "The
puzzle of Rusdi Kirana and Islamic Politics," the most intriguing factor in the
party's turnaround was the involvement of Rusdi Kirana, a Chinese non-
Muslim and the chief of Indonesia's fastest-growing airline Lion Air.
Fealy, whose article was quoted in the INSIDE STORY published by the
Swinburn Institute for social research of Australia, said Rusdi joined the
party with great fanfare in January 2014 claiming that he was a friend of the
late Gus Dur and an admirer of PKB's brand of religious pluralism.
Rusdi was immediately appointed deputy chairman of the party and set
about using his substantial wealth and connections for the party's electoral
advantage, Fealy wrote.
He said Rusdi appeared also to be using the PKB as a means to gain
bragging rights over one of his rivals, the media magnate Hary
Tanoesoedibjo, who joined ex-general Wiranto's Hanura Party and quickly
became its vice-presidential candidate.
Fealy pointed out that Rusdi had made no secret in PKB circles of his
determination to see the PKB win more votes than Hanura, something the
polls suggest will be easily achieved.
That's why PKB success was phenomenal and extraordinary.
According to communications expert Hendri Satrio, PKB's achievement in the
2014 legislative elections was extraordinary and caused the image of other
Islamic parties to shine again. (Andi Abdussalam)

Red: Julkifli Marbun

Sumber: Antara

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