REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - "Blusukan" seems getting its popularity during the campaign period. The word, is derived from Javanese which means making impromptu visits to neglected and remote areas. The method is considered more effective to win peoples sympathy.

In Javanese culture, blusukan is done by a top official to less visited areas to obtain first hand information about the real condition of the local communities and to provide them with necessary aid. The term gained popularity when Governor of Jakarta Province, Joko Widodo (popularly known as Jokowi) started doing it.

The 21-day nationwide campaigns for the upcoming legislative elections on April 9, 2014 kicked off on Sunday, March 16, 2014. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Secretary General Tjahjo Kumolo noted that blusukan political campaign by greeting the grass root communities was more effective than advertisement in print and electronic media.

"Blusukan campaign is more effective because the campaigners are able to get the first hand information about the problem of grass root communities in the field," Tjahjo said.

He stated that through the blusukan campaign, the campaigners would be able to communicate with the people to find out their real problems and the way how to help them.

"Besides blusukan campaign, we also stage open air campaign with Jokowi, the presidential candidate from PDI-P acts as the campaigner at Budi Utomo building in Central Jakarta," Tjahjo noted.

Earlier, PDIP's General Chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri on Friday decided to nominate Jokowi for the presidency in accordance with the party's articles of association and the result of the party's congress held in Bali in 2010.

In his oration at Naskah Proklamasi Museum, Jokowi said blusukan to historic places in Jakarta was to trace the history of the nation and to remind the people of Indonesia about the difficulty to gain independence.

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