Ceritalah: ARB on the Stump
There's something almost Texan about Golkar Party's presidential candidate, Aburizal Bakrie (or "ARB" as he's dubbed in his promotional material). He's unapologetic, bold and extremely focused. At the same time, while the multimillionaire and former minister isn't tall, he's certainly larger-than-life.
Of course, in Indonesia where the predominant cultural milieu is Javanese with all its emphasis on self-effacement, Aburizal's ebullient confidence and determination — attributed to his Sumatran roots — makes him stand out all the more.
Following the man himself on a day trip to Bandung, as I did recently, is quite an experience.
His team is very professional. Time-keeping appears to be a strength: once they've informed you of their schedule, they actually observe and stick to the times they've set themselves: a rarity in Indonesian political circles.
Second, Team ARB's enthusiasm and energy is surprisingly high. Whatever others might say, Aburizal himself is utterly convinced of his own chances in the presidential contest and this optimism is shared by his team.
Moreover, recent surveys have shown a surprising uptick in his support level just as Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) founder Prabowo Subianto's numbers have started dipping.
A recent survey found Aburizal's electability had increased from 8.8 percent in June 2013 to 9.2 percent in December 2013, placing him third behind Prabowo with 11.1 percent and Joko Widodo with 43.5 percent.
Nonetheless, it's clear that the tycoon's strategy hinges on the calculation that former President Sukarno's daughter will stand as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate and that Gerindra will fail to reach the necessary 20-percent threshold to nominate Prabowo.
But these are two massive assumptions that could fail to materialize. Aburizal is straight- forward about the reasons for his recent success: "I am traveling outside of Jakarta at least twice a week and normally overnight. We reach out to a range of communities from farmers and fishermen, to businessmen and students."
Indeed, the Bandung stump was classic ARB campaigning: beginning with a session at a campus (University Padjajaran), followed by a rambunctious and lively lunchtime engagement in a hilly, semi-rural suburb with a local Golkar luminary, Uu Rukmana.
Given that the event was out of term time, it was subdued. Nonetheless, the candidate spoke fluently and off-the-cuff for a good half an hour — ranging across a host of subjects from "getting out of your comfort zone" to his oft-mentioned Pax Asiana vision, his record as Coordinating Minister of Welfare as well as a call for greater investment in human development. His call for greater discipline and respect for the law was something I found particularly intriguing, especially his plea that "we should honor the sanctity of contract."
Almost inevitably, Aburizal's first question homed in on the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster and the controversy surrounding the reimbursements to which his answers were clear enough if not necessarily that convincing.
The lunchtime event was altogether different and more " rakyat " in tone. West Java after all has been a major Golkar stronghold and Aburizal needs all the votes he can muster from this populous province — especially given the challenges next-door in neighboring Banten after the detention by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) of its Golkar governor, Ratu Atut Chosiyah.
While Aburizal is quick to dismiss any concerns about Golkar's position, the corruption scandals may well eat away at support in the legislative polls. This is critical considering strong party figures like Akbar Tanjung, Priyo Budi Santoso and Jusuf Kalla are observing and sniping from the sidelines.
Given his single-mindedness and sizable resources, it would be very unwise to dismiss either Aburizal or Indonesia's grand old party, Golkar.
Karim Raslan is a columnist who divides his time between Indonesia and Malaysia.
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