Analysis: Popular as governor, Indonesian presidential hopeful Ganjar Pranowo needs to step up internationally if elected

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However, Mr Sardini of the University of Diponegoro in Central Java is not impressed.  

“I think he is very prominent on social media, like on TikTok and YouTube, where he has a lot of subscribers,” he said. 

Yet, he believes there have not been significant changes during his tenure.

“There have not been significant breakthroughs. He has no achievements…apart from his social media presence, which everyone knows,” he added.

The northern part of Central Java, which suffers from land subsidence and experiences regular floods, also remains frequently inundated. 

Mr Pranowo’s government has tried to tackle the problem by constructing embankments, but it has not improved the situation so far. 

“The embankments have no effect. In my area, for example, Pekalongan, it is not successful,” said Mr Sardini. 

“There are many industries which have led to the land subsidence, and climate change also plays a part, but people should be able to lessen the impact.” 

He also pointed out other unresolved cases, such as the controversy of andesite mining in Wadas and the operation of cement firm PT Semen Indonesia in Rembang. 

The andesite mining in Wadas is a national project which has been controversial since 2019. The andesites would be used to construct a dam about 12 km away from the site. 

Some locals oppose it, believing it will destroy the environment, while some question whether the mining has the required permit. There are also locals who would need to move due to the mining, but they resist.

Likewise, the presence of PT Semen Indonesia in Rembang is equally controversial. 

Some locals think the construction of the cement factory would harm the environment and threaten their food and water supply, especially since many paddy fields are nearby.

Those who reject it are mostly farmers who have even launched protests in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta. 

Meanwhile, to review Mr Pranowo’s performance, Mr Maftuchan looks at poverty eradication during his tenure. 

According to the country’s statistics agency, when Mr Pranowo came to office in 2013, Central Java’s monetary poverty rate was about 14.5 per cent. Today, it is about 10.7 per cent.

“Can this be regarded as an achievement, considering this was done in 10 years? I would say so-so because eradicating extreme poverty is not easy and needs a specific strategy,” said Mr Maftuchan.

He noted what was done in the province was in line with the central government’s programme. There was no specific provincial strategy.  

His thinktank has conducted its own study on multidimensional poverty in Indonesia from 2012 to 2021. 

In 2013, Central Java’s multidimensional poverty, which considers factors such as health, education and standard of living, was almost 39 per cent. In 2021, it declined to less than eight per cent.

“This is a very significant decline,” he stated.