Jupe -- Sexpot Politics...

Julia Perez, or Jupe as she is known to her loyal and devoted fans, is capitalising on her fame to make a run for public office. The jury is out on whether she would cut the mustard as a politician, but all sides seem to think that she has a shot of getting elected. I hope she does!

Having been on CNN recently and the focus of a story in the New York Times, Jupe now finds herself gracing the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle. The article is the same one that was in the NYT by the looks of it. But, when it is all said and done, it is still more than enough to open the door for some posting of some sexy Jupe pictures.

It might just be the breath of fresh air that Indonesian politics needs. It might also be a disaster! But, being the eternal optimist I am going to lean towards election and a more successful term than disastrous one. The down side is that she really does not have a broad enough knowledge of politics and public policy to be anything other than ineffective. However, I would argue, in her defense, that she has already exhibited some real knowledge of social issues that she has been more intimately involved with as part of her fame, or infamy, like HIV / AIDS and sex education of Indonesia's youth.

Most recently, Ms. Perez has been in the news giving the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a serve about the consistent failures of the government with the gas conversion program. Of particular note, Ms. Perez took an opportunistic shot at SBY when a gas cylinder exploded in her home in Cibubur and injured her maid.

The criticisms as highlighted in The Jakarta Globe article show what many consider to be her weakness; no policy knowledge. It is easy to criticise and offer up no policy or legislative alternatives. Megawati, a former President, regular salon dweller, and largely irrelevant leader of the PDI-P (Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle), is renowned for this campaign methodology of criticising without offering alternatives. It has not served her well as she has not reclaimed the presidency. As a long-term campaign strategy this will not serve Jupe well either.

The reality is that the prospect of Ms. Perez being elected to the local government of Pacitan is somewhat titillating, the Indonesian voting populace is far more knowledgeable on the issues that effect, and affect, them. Simply, Jupe needs to come up with some policies that show she has the political smarts to go with her sexpot image.

Viva Jupe!