(VOVworld)- Indonesia’s Presidential election will be held on Wednesday to choose the successor of President Sulio Bambang Yudhoyono. The election is a race between the two major candidates: the governor of Jakarta Joko Widodo, who wants to boost democracy and former army general Prabowo Subianto, who people fear will bring Indonesia back to an autocracy. The outcome is unpredictable because support rates for the two candidates is as similar as their campaigns are different.
About 190 million Indonesian voters will cast their ballots at more than 480,000 polling stations on Wednesday. Between July 4th and 6th, 2 million Indonesian voters living overseas cast their ballots at Indonesia’s diplomatic missions.
The race between the two candidates is a race between reform and the status quo. Doctor Alexander Arifianto, Director of the Southeast Asia Research Institute in Singapore, says the election is of great importance because the Indonesian people are pressing the government to reform Indonesia’s politics which have remained unchanged for nearly 50 years since Indonesia became a democratic country. Paul Rowland, an independent politic analyst in Jakarta, says the election will determine the future of Indonesia.
Narrow support margin
The election campaign has been intense. Recent polls show no difference in support for the two candidates, whose campaigns are now aiming at undecided voters. About one-fifth of all Indonesians were still undecided in late June surveys.
According to observers, the rural areas of Java, where 40% of Indonesians live, is the main battle ground. To win the election, a candidate needs to prove he is close to the people and pays attention to the people, especially low-income workers and farmers. Half of all Indonesians are farmers. The candidate with the most persuasive economic policy will become the next President of Indonesia.
In his campaign, Joko Widodo has promised to create a breakthrough for Indonesia by focusing more on agriculture, and providing free health care for the poor. Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto has vowed to prioritize social welfare, ensure fundamental human rights, and develop an economy for the people by increasing the budget for agriculture 10 fold.
Major challenges await the new President
The winner will have to deal with the numerous major problems that Indonesia is facing. Combating corruption and restoring equality are the two biggest problems. According to the International Transparency Organization, Indonesia index ranks 114 out of 177 countries on the corruption index. The Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum said corruption is hindering business activities in Indonesia.
Economic reform is another priority in Indonesia. Economist Aldian Taloputra of Mandiri Sekuritas Securities Company in Jakarta says that the new Indonesian President in the 2014-2019 term will inherit an economy with the lowest growth since 2009. Indonesia’s rupiah currency is losing values, down 20% against the USD. Prices of fuel, energy, imported petroleum, soybeans and wheat are increasing.
Poverty reduction will be a continuing challenge for the new government. According to the World Bank, the gap between the rich and the poor in Indonesia, the world’s 4th largest population country, is expanding. Indonesia rose on the social instability index, known as the Gini index, from 0.35 in 2005 to 0.41 in 2012. According to Indonesia’s Central Bureau of Statistics, 11.5% of the Indonesian people live below the poverty line.
This election will determine the course of Southeast Asia’s largest economy in the 21st century.