Vox taxi

It's all very well following the opinion polls, but given the Democratic Party's monotonous lead (around 24% of the vote, 7-10% ahead of Megawati's PDIP) it's just not very interesting - especially as the other parties seem to have given up paying for polls that show them in out in front.

It is a well-known fact that if you want to know what's going on in a city, the best way is to jump in a taxi and ask. Jakarta is no exception and its taxi drivers are a savvy lot. There seems to be a consensus (OK - that's a bit of a stretch and not exactly a statistically accurate sample) that President SBY will and should win. "Just let him continue" is a typical comment. What about Megawati, and her "party of the little people"? Ignoring the usual girth-related comments, the most oft-heard sentiment is that she did absolutely nothing when she was president last time, and doesn't deserve another chance. In fact, they say, all she is doing now is criticizing. So what about Gerindra, the high-spending party vehicle of disgraced former general Prabowo? "He was behind the disappearances of students in '98" said one driver, showing that political memories are long here... Incidentally, this he why he was dishonorably discharged from the military.

So, if it was down to the taxi drivers, the election would be a foregone conclusion for SBY. Hmmm. That's what the polls say anyway.

And speaking of Megawati and her criticizing (many Indonesians don't like wingeing politicians, which is why Amien Rais has vanished without trace), in a desperate attempt to publicly disagree with something the government is doing, last week she launched a bizarre attack on the cash handouts being given to the poor to offset the reductions in fuel subsidies, claiming it was turning the people into beggars. In a hasty shift, the party is now running TV ads showing its workers in a village ensuring that the cash is going to the right people. Oh the irony. Not known for expressing, or indeed having, any opinions, as soon as she opens her mouth she produces the biggest gaffe of the campaign so far. That'll teach her to try and be smart. Perhaps she should have consulted with a taxi driver before opening her mouth.