In order to ensure a fair and peaceful election, Jokowi and Prabowo should appear together in a press conference and read out each others’ text to declare openly that those smear campaign allegations are wrong

The Thinker: Jokowi and Prabowo

By Jakarta Globe on 11:30 am Jun 04, 2014

If surveys are to be believed, there is valid reason to assume that Joko Widodo, or Jokowi, as he is popularly known, has the upper hand compared to his contender Prabowo Subianto.

Jokowi’s electoral preponderance has been consistently shown in various surveys. However, as the election draws near, there are some indications that he will face an uphill battle and things have become less predictable.

Not only has the electability of his contender Prabowo been significantly increasing, but Islamic parties’ aggressive mobilization of support for him cannot be underestimated.

If indeed there is now a balance of power between the two candidates, who will deserve the victory on July 9?

Considering that smear campaigns to discredit the candidates are likely to increase in the coming weeks, shrewdness and wisdom in managing the vulnerabilities of the two presidential hopefuls can be crucial in determining what will happen on election day.

The nature of Indonesian politics is that we are not yet accustomed to healthy debate in pursuing the truth. There is a difference between an exchange of arguments for the sake of finding the truth and argumentum ad hominem .

The former is an enlightening exercise because protagonists try to use the best logic they have to convince their counterparts. The latter is driven more by emotion, prejudice and even hatred to attack the opponent’s personality.

Indonesia’s challenges are so complex that we need more of the healthy and enlightening type of debate. For instance, there is no simple answer to the issue of energy and food security, climate change, national competitiveness and poverty.

Unfortunately, our political leaders often start unhealthy debate themselves with their provocative statements and even deliberate manipulation of sensitive issues to incite hatred among ethnic and religious groups.

From media reports we learn that Jokowi and Prabowo have both been the targets of smear campaigns. The most serious one about Jokowi is an allegation that he is not a Muslim. The purpose is clearly to lower his acceptability among his Islamic constituents and ultimately delegitimize his eligibility as a presidential candidate.

As for Prabowo, the rumors are related to his alleged role in the May 1998 riots and other issues such as dual citizenship, a violent temper and a troubled family life.

These are all serious allegations and damaging to the credibility of both candidates. Without proper clarification, people on grassroots level can easily be persuaded to believe it.

It is very difficult to find out who are behind the smear campaigns as they operate in a clandestine manner. Nor can we ascertain whether allegations against a presidential candidate really come from the opposite group or whether it is a deliberate act of self-victimization to accuse the other of doing it.

In a presidential election there is always a temptation to start a smear campaign as a shortcut to victory. It is predicted that in the final days before the election the dirty tricks will become even more diabolic. In fact, security authorities cannot rule out the possibility of even an assassination attempt.

Therefore, in order to stop this, it is not enough to try moral persuasion. Nor can we expect too much from law enforcement. Negative campaigns can easily spread through social media at any time and anywhere in the country.

In order to ensure a fair and peaceful election, there is a suggestion that Jokowi and Prabowo should appear together in a press conference and read out their texts to declare openly that those allegations are wrong. But then, in order to make it more credible and convincing, Prabowo should read Jokowi’s text and the other way round.

By doing so, not only do they set a good example for our pluralistic society but they also help reduce the political tension that is quite high this time around.

Aleksius Jemadu is dean of the School of Government and Global Affairs at Universitas Pelita Harapan, Karawaci.