JAKARTA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has hit an all time high after the government eased COVID 19 restrictions last month, a poll showed on Sunday January 22 that the president's approval rating had risen consistently over recent months to reach 76.2 per cent at the start of 2023, according to the pollster Lembaga Survei Indonesia LSI.
In the last three months the president's performance has increased in terms of positive public perception from 62.6 per cent in September 2022 to 76.2 per cent. The increase is quite significant if you look at the last three months, LSI executive director Djayadi Hanan said.
Jokowi's highest approval rating was recorded by LSI during his current term, which began in 2014, with a more than 10 point jump.
Hanan told Reuters that this was mostly due to the lifting of COVID 19 social restrictions and a decrease in fuel prices. The narrative that the economy will be very difficult in 2023 has been there since the beginning of last year. The pollster said Jokowi's announcement of the end of the pandemic restrictions was well received, as the restrictions had been seen as hurting the economy.
The LSI poll, conducted between Jan 7 and Jan 11 and covered more than 1,200 respondents, comes months after the start of a high-profile trial against a former Indonesian police general.
The case sparked public uproar about corruption and impunity within the police, but the fact that it was made so public was taken as evidence that the government was trying to address the issues.