The Indonesian Voters' Institute released survey results that found that the figure of the Indonesian Solidarity Party Chairman, Kaesang Pangarep, strengthens the party's image as a youth party.
LPI's Director of Political Research and Policy, Fernando Emas, revealed that the main reason people like Kaesang is not only his status as the son of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, but also because he is considered to represent the younger generation.
"Kaesang's role is considered to be able to broaden the public's understanding of the PSI and bring a spirit of renewal," Fernando said in a statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.
He explained that the survey results showed that 69.7 percent of respondents believed that Kaesang's leadership could strengthen the PSI's image as a party close to Jokowi, and 68.2 percent admitted that their interest in PSI was also influenced by Kaesang's figure.
From the survey, it was also found that Kaesang's attraction to PSI came from his image as a representative of the younger generation.
As many as 72 percent stated that Kaesang is considered to represent the younger generation, which is the reason most often chosen by respondents.
In addition, around 65 percent of respondents believe Kaesang will make PSI better known to the public, while 61 percent believe Kaesang will bring a spirit of renewal to politics.
According to Fernando, the findings are interesting because they show that Kaesang's appeal has its own selling point, apart from the shadow of his father.
"However, these two factors, both the Jokowi factor and the Kaesang factor, ultimately reinforce each other in shaping the PSI's image as a youth party associated with Jokowi's political representation," he said.
He added that Jokowi's figure also had a significant influence on the image and level of public trust in the PSI.
From the findings of the LPI survey, he said, image transfer occurred between Jokowi and PSI, who was rumored to be the chairman of the advisory board.
The survey results show that an average of 70.2 percent of the public believes that PSI's closeness to Jokowi can increase the positive impression (image) of the party.
He believes that this positive image will ultimately not only associate the figure with PSI, but also other attributions or identities that arise from the respondents' views or assessments.
