Social networking hits Indonesia's 2009 campaign
Updated
A week after the call by Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono for fresh political blood to contest next year's general elections, two new candidates have emerged who say they want the President's job.
Both men are following the lead of US presidential hopeful Barack Obama by promoting their candidacy through the internet.
Presenter: Claudette Werden
Speaker: Rizal Mallarangeng, Indonesian presidential hopeful; Andi Mallarangeng, spokesperson for Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Bima Arya Sugiarto, political analyst.
WERDEN: The voice of Rizal Mallarangeng, taken from his promotional video posted on the popular YouTube website. Mr Mallarangeng also has a page on Facebook, the social media website credited with raising the profile among young people of US presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
MALLARANGENG: Barack Obama gives a very good example of how to use new technology in order to enlarge your base and find support. I intend to do the same thing, using new technologies, new possibilities to reach out to the people, especially the young, because young educated Indonesians, most of them have access to internet. What I want really is to show Indonesia and other countries that now is the time for young generation of Indonesian leadership to make a difference.
WERDEN: Mr Mallarangeng is a well known academic in Indonesia. He also happens to be the brother of one of the President's senior advisors, Andi Mallarangeng, who admits to giving his sibling some brotherly advice.
ANDI: I don't see any problem with that, my position is clear. I'm the spokesman for President Yudhoyono and I think President Yudhoyono is still the best president for Indonesia for five years to come.
WERDEN: Another presidential hopeful is former student acitivist, Fadjroel Rahman. He's leading his election campaign from a page on the MULTIPLY website. Mr Rachman is a friend of Rizal Mallarangeng, who says they're both in the early stages of gathering support. Both men need to align themselves with a political party that has no less than 15 per cent of seats in parliament to be able to stand as a presidential candidate.
MALLARANGENG: This is a kind of experiment in Indonesia. Look, our democracy is only 10 years old.
WERDEN: Indonesia's next general elections will be held in April, with a separate presidential poll in July. The country's election commission has announced that 18 new political parties will be participating in the 2009 poll, taking the total number of parties competing to 34.
Former presidents Megawati Sukarnoputri, Abdurahman Wahid and current vice president Jusuf Kalla are among some of the familiar faces standing. Political analyst Bima Arya Sugiarto warns voters may boycott the polls if there's no new element, as was the case in recent local government elections. But Mr Sugiarto, quoting figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, says there is an opportunity to target young first time voters.
BIMA ARYA SUGIATO: Because they are longing for new figures and new hopes. There will be 30 per cent of voters, early voters, those who will vote for the first time at the next elections so according to these two factors, I think the chance is there.
WERDEN: As for following the Obama lead, Andi Mallarangeng, the president's advisor, suggests online support doesn't necessarily translate to offline votes.
ANDI: Obama has inspired a lot of people, around the world, including Indonesia and trying to emulate the strategy or the way he can get support from the people, there is new technology now, space for people campaigning and gathering support, and some people would like to try that, that's good, whether that's effective in Indonesia we don't know yet.
WERDEN: Will we be seeing an SBY facebook page?
ANDI : We have a website, I am managing the website of the President but I don't know about Facebook, we'll have to wait and see. (Laughs)
