Digital Volunteers Successful in Influencing Young Voters, Says Researcher

Siti Zuhro, a senior researcher of the Political Study Center of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Jakarta, 27 Rajab 1438/24 April 2017 (MINA) – Digital volunteers have been successful in influencing the younger generation in the recently-concluded gubernatorial election (pilkada) in Jakarta, Antara News reported, ciiting Siti Zuhro, a senior researcher of the Political Study Center of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

“They have managed to present attractive campaign packaging which could motivate netizens who are mostly young people,” she said in a press statement here, Sunday.

She cited Anies-Sandi Digital Volunteers (Insider) as an example of a success story.

Insider promoted Sandiaga Uno as an energetic, sportive, stylish, and creative candidate during the pilkada campaign period, she pointed out.

Social media users tended to support a young candidate who offered a change, she noted.

The public were no longer interested in conventional campaign that used black campaign to discredit rival candidates, he said.

Anthony Leong, coordinator of Insider, believed that the social media played a crucial role in bringing victory to Anies Baswedan and his pair, Sandiaga Uno in the Jakarta pilkada.

The social media could deliver in-depth information to the public, he said.

He, however, cited bullying, hoax and black campaign spread by buzzers as challenges on the social media.

According to the results of quick counts conducted by several pollsters, Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno won the second-round election held on April 19, against incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) who paired with Vice Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

The Jakarta KPU official website stated that the results showed 42.05 percent (2,351,245 votes) for Ahok-Djarot pair and 57.95 percent (3,240,332 votes) for Anies-Sandi pair.

The number of Jakartans who voted was 5,591,198 people.

In the first round of the election, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylvina received 17.07 percent or 937,955 votes; Ahok-Djarot received 42.99 percent or 2,364,577 votes; and Anies-Sandiaga received 39.95 percent or 2,197,333 votes. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Ilamic News Agency MINA)