Prabowo promises World Cup; Jokowi more tempe Campaign promises made by presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto and rival Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Tuesday again demonstrated the sharp contrast between the two. Prabowo was campaigning in East Java, while Jokowi made stops in Jambi and Palembang in Sumatra. Appearing to have run out of other sweeping campaign promises, Prabowo attempted to capitalize on the nation’s soccer fever by pledging to make Indonesia the host of the World Cup. Other recent pledges from the former general have included setting a national minimum wage of Rp 6 million (US$500) — the current minimum wage in every province except Jakarta is below Rp 2 million — and giving Rp 1 billion each year to the more than 72,000 villages across the country. He has also said he could easily secure Rp 1.2 quadrillion by shoring up “leakages” in the state budget. “I want Indonesia to be the host of the World Cup. And [I want] Indonesia’s national soccer team to compete in the World Cup,” he said during a campaign rally in Madura, East Java, on Tuesday, as quoted by several media outlets. Meanwhile, in Jambi, Jokowi gave assurances to tempe and tofu producers that he would ensure sustainable supplies of soybeans at affordable prices across the country, if he won the July 9 election. “Soybeans must become our focus of attention, because when the price rises it is very difficult to get it down,” said the non-active Jakarta governor. “This is ekonomi kerakyatan [the people’s economy]. This is the place of tempe and tofu sellers, not in malls,” Jokowi said. The former Surakarta mayor also promised a crowd at a rally that he would develop rice fields, along with dikes, in every province in the country. “It has been years that these rice fields could not be developed since [irrigation and dikes] were not planned,” he added. Prabowo has also vowed to develop rice fields, but has failed to give details of where or how. Separately, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri urged Lampung residents to support Jokowi and running mate Jusuf Kalla in the race. “I want Jokowi-Kalla’s victory in a single round,” she told the crowd during a rally at the Lapangan Merah field in Bandar Lampung on Tuesday. “That’s why I urge all the volunteers and the people who want a better Indonesia to fight for them. If someone tries to give [you] money for your vote, just turn [the money] down. No need to be afraid of the police and the military,” she said. “Smart voters cast their ballots based on their conscience. Use your heart, not money.” Megawati also told the crowd not to stay at home on voting day. Later, she emphasized that both Jokowi and Kalla were proven leaders, as Jokowi had successfully run both Surakarta and Jakarta, while Kalla had experience as a former vice president and as the head of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI). On a different occasion, Megawati told PDI-P members to work as hard as the Jokowi-Kalla volunteers amid speculation that Prabowo might have taken the lead in the race. “Jokowi-Kalla volunteers are plenty and everywhere. They do not want to get paid; they only want to work to make Jokowi the president,” she said.
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 07:52:54 +0000
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