Calls Luhut's Data Contrary To Survey, SMRC: The Fact Is That Political Party Voters Don't Want The Election To Be Postponed

JAKARTA - The founder of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), Saiful Mujani, questioned the data obtained by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan regarding the aspirations of the people who want the 2024 election to be postponed.

The reason, according to Saiful, is that almost all party voters reject the postponement of the election. Even with the idea of extending the term of office of the president.

"I don't know where Pak Luhut got the information from. The data from the national survey is not like that," said Saiful in his statement, Thursday, March 24.

However, continued Saiful, elites and politicians often make contradictory claims. Where it is said that the people want the election to be postponed and Jokowi to remain president.

Saiful admitted that Jokowi's voters' assumption that the president is performing well and wants to return to office is logical. However, surveys show contradicting facts.

The Indonesian Political Indicator Survey in December 2021 showed that 53 percent of Jokowi and Ma'ruf Amin voters did not want the election to be postponed to 2027. There were only 33.2 percent of Jokowi's voters who agreed.

"While those who voted for Prabowo, 85 percent did not want the election to be postponed," said Saiful.

Meanwhile, 82 percent of PDIP voters want two terms for the presidency, 89 percent of Golkar voters, 79 percent of Gerindra, 95 percent of Nasdem, 92 percent of PKB, 83 percent of Democrats, 82 percent of PKS, 92 percent of PAN, and 92 percent of PPP.

This data, explained Saiful, shows an average of above 80 percent of party voters who want the presidential term to remain for two terms. Meanwhile, those who want a change in the presidential periodization, when combined, are only around 13 percent.

"Regarding the aspiration to postpone the election to 2027, 79 percent of PDIP voters rejected, 92 percent of NasDem, 87 percent of Democrats, 85 percent of PKS, 83 percent of PKB, 100 percent of PAN, 84 percent of Golkar, 82 percent of Gerindra, and 95 percent of PPP," he explained.

According to Saiful, these data show that political elites who talk about postponing the election have no basis. So, he said, there is no empirical basis to claim that the voters of the Democrats, Gerindra, and other parties want the election to be postponed.

"In general, they don't want the rules related to elections and the presidential term to be changed," he continued.

Saiful reminded that speaking not based on facts is a matter of concern. Meanwhile, 92 percent of PKB voters do not want the 2024 election to be postponed.

"Well, who did Cak Imin represent when he said the people wanted the election to be postponed?" Saiful said.