Celebrities who jump into politics tend to do well in terms of getting elected in Indonesia, as many have banked on their popularity to get voted ahead of arguably better qualified or more experienced politicians.
That is what Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama’s election campaign team is hoping to capitalize on by tapping popular actress/model/singer Sophia Latjuba as Ahok’s spokeswoman for the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election.
“Of course it’s our hope that getting a celebrity public figure on board can attract voters,” said Ace Hasan Syadzily, secretary for Ahok’s campaign team, as quoted by Detik today.
The 46-year-old Sophia Latjuba, who was born to an Indonesian father and a German-Austrian mother, made a name for herself appearing in films like ‘Catatan si Boy V’ and ‘Kuldesak’, as well as regularly featuring in beauty magazines and producing several hit albums.
She was picked as Ahok’s spokesperson based on the recommendation of the NasDem Party, which is one of the four political parties endorsing Ahok’s campaign. This would be Sophia Latjuba’s first foray into politics.
Among the other spokespersons for Ahok’s campaign is Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul, whose inclusion in the team has raised a few eyebrows since his party has nominated their own candidate for governor in Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, son of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Heading Ahok’s campaign team is, curiously enough, Jakarta City Council Chairman Prasetyo Edi Marsudi. Ahok and the City Council haven’t exactly gotten along during the former’s tenure as governor, while Prasetyo and Ahok themselves have publicly traded criticism on many issues in the past.
