Social Aids Becomes Jokowi’s Trum Card to Lure People on His Direction

Several surveys have indicated a notably high approval rating for President Joko Widodo. The Indikator Politik Indonesia (IPI) survey released on Dec 9 mentioned that 76.2 percent of respondents were satisfied with Jokowi's performance. Rizka Halida, the Chief Researcher at IPI, stated that 33.6 percent of survey respondents expressed satisfaction with Jokowi's performance due to social assistance or welfare programs. "Other reasons include infrastructure development at 25.1 percent, his populist nature at 8.9 percent, acknowledgment of his good performance albeit in smaller numbers at 8.8 percent, and various other reasons," she said.

According to Rizka, 21.9 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with Jokowi's performance. The most prevalent reason cited by dissatisfied respondents was the increase in the prices of basic necessities, accounting for 23.8 percent. "There were also concerns about the uneven distribution of aid at 18.9 percent, a perceived lack of reduction in poverty at 9.5 percent, and job opportunities or unemployment at nine percent," she said.

Similar results were recorded in a survey conducted by the Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI). According to the LSI survey from Dec 3 to Dec 5, Jokowi's approval rating increased from 70 percent to 76 percent. LSI Executive Director Djayadi Hanan stated that 33.4 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with Jokowi's performance due to welfare programs aimed at the economically disadvantaged. "Other reasons included infrastructure development at 24.9 percent, recognition of his good performance at 18.3 percent, and his populist nature at seven percent," he said on Dec 10.