Celebrities Endorse Candidates on Social Media Ahead of Wednesday's Election
Jakarta. Indonesian celebrities are showing political endorsements on their social media pages ahead of the simultaneous regional elections on Wednesday (15/02).
Singer-songwriter Sinna Sherina Munaf, who had been away recently and deleted much of her social media content, returned to Twitter on Tuesday to show her support for candidate pair Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
In her tweet, Sherina said she had decided to vote for Ahok-Djarot on Wednesday, because she believes the incumbent Jakarta governor has proved himself in doing his job. Singer Afgansyah Reza also showed his support for Ahok-Djarot by saying that Jakarta's struggle is not over yet. He also urged his followers to vote for the pair, reminding them that every vote counts.Saya memutuskan untuk bersuara dengan tegas. Di Pilgub Jakarta ini saya pilih Ahok-Djarot. Hasil kerja mereka sudah terbukti. #VoteAhok
— Sherina Sinna (@sherinasinna) February 14, 2017
Perjuangan Jakarta belum selesai, dengan itu saya memilih Ahok-Djarot di Pilgub kali ini. #VoteAhok every single vote counts! — Afgan (@afgansyah_reza) February 14, 2017
Musician Tya Subiakto pinned a short video of celebrities supporting candidate pair Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni on her Twitter page. The two-minute video shows a political speech by Agus, which was then narrated by other celebrities, such as actor and politician Dede Yusuf, models Arzetty Bilbina and Okky Asokawati, musician Anang Hermansyah, comedian Eko Patrio, actors Desy Ratnasari, Vena Melinda and Lucky Hakim, and public figures, including Tya. Agus's wife Anisa Pohan and his brother Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono also appear in the video.
Comedian Pandji Pragiwaksono wrote a long blog post titled "Saya Dibayar Anies Baswedan" ("I Got Paid by Anies Baswedan") to explain his position as a spokesman for Anies and Sandiaga Uno.Jalan keluarnya hanya SATU ☝
Pandji has been receiving sharp criticism in recent months for his rigorous display of support for Anies-Sandi, despite having supported Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election and in the 2014 presidential election.
In his post, Pandji said being a Jokowi supporter does not mean his vote will go to Ahok. He believes Ahok took a separate path from Jokowi in the way he ran the city, such as "evicting more than 8,000 families in a matter of months."
"I did not vote for [Ahok]. I voted for Pak Jokowi. I voted for a governor who cares about the WAY he does things; not only does things without consideration. A governor who has a humane approach. Who promises that he will not evict, but moves people instead," he said.
During a music concert in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Feb. 4, Ahok-Djarot received numerous endorsements from popular musicians such as Slank, Kikan, Tompi, Sandhy Sondoro, Shanty, Krisdayanti, Dira Sugandi, Project Pop, Oppie Andaresta and Gita Gutawa.
In January, Tompi even appeared in Mata Najwa on Metro TV to publicly show his support for Ahok-Djarot. Tompi, who was born in Aceh and is a Muslim, said on the show that he is tired of bureaucracy and believes Ahok can speed up policies.
"We are tired of people who are busy with corruption between their prayers. I see hope from Pak Ahok and Pak Djarot. Are they perfect? No. They are far from perfect, but they are far better than the former governors," he said.
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