Prabowo Subianto Does Not Trust Survey Institutions in Memory Today, January 22, 2017

JAKARTA - Remembering today, nine years ago, January 22, 2017, the General Chair of the Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto, emphasized that he did not believe the results of the survey. He considers the presence of survey institutions to be nothing more than a group of smart people who only use their intelligence to lie to the people.

Previously, Prabowo decided to support Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno in the 2017 DKI Jakarta gubernatorial election. Prabowo considers all Jakarta residents want his two champions to win. However, surveys actually confirm that his candidate is not strong.

There is no doubt about the existence of the 2017 DKI Jakarta gubernatorial election. The election of the regional head is considered the hottest political contest in Indonesia. This condition is because Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) who is the Governor of DKI Jakarta chose to run again.

Ahok is confident that he can be re-elected. This narrative makes Ahok's political opponents try to find a suitable figure to compete with Ahok. Prabowo Subianto and the Gerindra Party don't want to lose.

They then looked for a leader who could compete in Jakarta. The choice then led Prabowo to choose Anies Baswedan. Prabowo believes that the former Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) can bring change to Jakarta.

Prabowo indeed admitted that he and Anies were in political opposition. However, the political world is considered special, opponents can be friends. Prabowo then paired Anies with businessman Sandiaga Uno.

The pair are considered to be able to kill Ahok's steps and Djarot Saiful Hidayat also Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) and Sylviana Murni. Prabowo himself believes Anies will win. This condition is because Prabowo believes Anies's footsteps as Minister of Education and Culture are fragrant.

Prabowo then instructed all Gerindra cadres in Jakarta to move to make Anies-Sandi successful. Political machines were turned on. Volunteers were spread out. All with one goal: win.

"True, I used to be a political opponent of brother Anies. However, I believe that the Anies-Sandi pair can be leaders who involve citizens in building Jakarta. I convey to him, I know you love your country, and I love my country, let's work together. I know you love this country, and I love this country, let's work together," said Prabowo as quoted by lamandetik.com, October 27, 2016.

Prabowo is convinced that Anies-Sandi will win. He considers the calculations of the Gerindra party on the acquisition of votes can bring Anies to be the Governor of DKI Jakarta. The problem arises. Prabowo's calculations are not the same as those revealed by several survey institutions.

Several survey results are considered inconsistent in predicting the winner of the 2017 gubernatorial election. Sometimes Anies is placed in second place. Sometimes in third place. Uniquely, there are also survey institutions that place AHY-Sylvi in first place, even though in other surveys the names of the two are down.

The narrative then made Prabowo angry. He admitted that he did not trust the survey agency on January 22, 2017. Prabowo considered that the survey agency was nothing more than a group of smart people who only used their intelligence to lie to the people.

Later, Anies-Sandi's victory in Jakarta made Prabowo increasingly distrust surveys. As a result, Prabowo often considers survey institutions trivial in every political contest.

"What is clear is that I no longer respect it. His intelligence is used to deceive the people. However, they should be open and honest regarding the party that hired him," said Prabowo as quoted by tempo.co, January 22, 2017.