Pagebluk COVID-19 That Could Become A Political Stage

Governor Anies Baswedan, Governor Ganjar Pranowo, and Governor Ridwan Kamil at an event (Photo: Instagram @ganjar_pranowo)

JAKARTA - Pagebluk COVID-19 can indirectly become a political stage for politicians, especially regional heads. This is evidenced by the increased electability of a number of regional heads such as Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil.

From a survey conducted by Indonesian Political Indicators, the names Ganjar and Ridwan Kamil gained additional electability in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The survey was conducted on May 16-18 and conducted via telephone contact with 1,200 random respondents from all over Indonesia.

The survey has a simple random sampling method with a margin of error of about 2.9 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

The survey results showed that Ganjar's electability in May rose to 11.8 percent or is in second place after Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, whose electability rate fell to 14.1 percent. In fact, compared to February, the electability of Ganjar, who is a PDI Perjuangan cadre, stands at 9.1 percent.

Apart from Ganjar, the electability of West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil also rose to 7.7 percent this May. In fact, in February, the electability was around 3.8 percent.

However, DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa did not feel the increase in electability.

Based on this survey, Anies' electability fell to 10.4 percent in May. Yet in February, the electability of the former Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) reached 12.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Khofifah, her electability in May was at 4.3 percent. This figure has decreased, because in February, the electability of this National Awakening Party (PKB) politician was at 5.7 percent.

According to the Executive Director of Indicators, Burhanuddin Muhtadi, the increase or decrease in the electability of regional heads in the midst of the COVID-19 disaster as stated in his institution's survey occurred because of their performance.

"COVID-19 has the impact of changing the electoral map because it can be a battle for regional heads to show their fangs. As a result, the feasibility of candidates who do not come from regional heads is reduced," said Burhannudin when releasing his survey.

If we read from performance, the increase in electability of Ganjar and Ridwan Kamil is reasonable because they lead areas that have entered the yellow zone and are preparing to enter a new normal phase.

In Central Java, there are 10 districts / cities in question. Namely, Pekalongan City, Wonogiri Regency, Karanganyar Regency, Grobogan Regency, Kendal Regency, Pekalongan Regency, Boyolali Regency, Blora Regency, Sragen Regency, and Rembang Regency.

Meanwhile in West Java, there are currently 11 districts / cities that have entered the yellow zone, namely Cianjur Regency, Ciamis Regency, Banjar City, Sukabumi Regency, Sumedang Regency, Tasikmalaya Regency, Cirebon Regency, Kuningan Regency, Pangandaran Regency, and Indramayu Regency.

East Java led by Khofifah, there are 4 districts / cities that are also included in the yellow zone. In those 4 areas, the number of the spread of COVID-19 in the region is still quite high until now. The area with the highest number of cases was the city of Surabaya with a total of 3,124 cases.

Meanwhile, DKI Jakarta, although currently entering into a transitional Large-Scale Social Restriction (PSBB) period and starting to reopen economic activities, this region has not yet entered the 136 districts / cities that are in the green or yellow zone.

Electability increases due to frequent appearances in public

According to a political observer from the University of Al-Azhar Indonesia, Ujang Komarudin, the increase in electability was not only their performance. Rather, because Ridwan Kamil and Ganjar often appear in public through a number of platforms both mainstream media and on social media.

"The increase could also be due to the news game and because they often go down (to the public)," said Ujang when contacted, Monday, June 9.

The Executive Director of Indonesia Political Review said that the COVID-19 event could be a momentum for politicians, especially regional heads who are predicted to advance in the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

"Yes, (this pagebluk) can be a tool or a way to build an image. Including to increase their popularity and electability," he said.

However, Ujang reminded that increased electability, according to this survey agency, should not make the regional heads complacent in carrying out their duties.

This is because electability is only a temporary one that can fluctuate and change along with the number of survey agencies that will survey this kind of electability.

"That's the temporary electability of Ridwan Kamil and Ganjar Pranowo. Moreover, if they were surveyed by other survey institutions, the results would have been different," concluded Ujang.