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The month-long campaign period for president and vice president hopefuls has started following a commitment to carry out the campaign in decent manner was pledged by the candidates running for the July 9 presidential election in Indonesia.
The two pairings to contest in Indonesia's upcoming presidential election, the president and vice president hopefuls from the opposition PDI-P coalition Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla and the ones from the coalition of the Great Indonesia Movement ( Gerindra) Party Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Radjasa pledged their commitment and signed the pact of peaceful election on Tuesday night.
Prabowo Subianto said in his remarks in the event held by the General Election Commission (KPU) that he would accept any of people's decision resulted from the election. Should he be elected as president, Prabowo said that he would work hard to develop the nation.
"If the mandate is for Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla pairing, we would respect that decision. Whatever would happen, we will be citizens devoted to the nation," Prabowo said with his running mate Hatta Radjasa besides him in the event.
In his turn to speak in the event, Joko Widodo, the Jakarta governor popularly known with his nickname Jokowi, expected the election should be conducted without scam, black campaign, violence and intimidation.
"We should let the people decide whoever they want to choose, respect what they want," Jokowi said with his running mate, the former vice president Jusuf Kalla at his side.
Black campaigns denouncing the two candidates allegedly launched by supporters of both president candidates have been rampant in social media since before the April 9 legislative election.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has warned the danger of black campaign in election process as it would tarnish the public's good impression on the president-elect.
Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Radjasa are nominated by coalition of six parties comprised of the Great Indonesia Movement Party, the Golkar party, the National Mandate Party, the United Development Party and the Moon and Crescent Party.
Meanwhile, Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla are supported by coalition of four political parties comprised of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, the Nation's Awakening Party, the People's Conscience Party and the National Democrat Party.
Both presidential candidates began the campaign period by conveying their vision and mission to several communities here on Wednesday with their running mates gathered supports from group of people and organizations in the regions.
The candidate pairings were scheduled to commence campaigns related to their candidacies in the regions this week, visited their supporters from westernmost province of Aceh to the easternmost one in Papua.
According to results of freshest survey carried out by prominent pollster agency of Indonesia Survey Circle (LSI), Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla pairing obtained more public trust in handling the nation's economy, social, law enforcement and security affairs. Meanwhile Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Radjasa pairing are only considered best in handling the country's political stability.
