The Saudi government media outlets have promoted a fake survey claiming that Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salem is the most popular foreign leader among Indonesians. However, the survey has shown different results.
The public opinion poll, conducted by the Australian think tank Lowy Institute, has surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,000 Indonesians aged 17 to 65 from 33 provinces.
The findings found that 11% of those surveyed said they had no confidence in bin Salman, while 25% have not even heard about him.
Social media users have revealed the survey's real results and exposed lies promoted by the state media.
The Saudi activist, Amr bin Abdulaziz, wrote on his Twitter account that the survey was used to cover bin Salman's defeats in face of the Houthi gangs in Yemen and his international isolation.
Khaled Al-Jabri, son of the exiled former Saudi official Saad Aljabri, denied the survey, affirming that Indonesian President Widodo came in first place with 74 percent.
For his part, Saudi activist Abdullah Omar commented on the survey, saying: “If Muhammad bin Salman is really the most popular foreign leader, and his people love him, then why not he doesn't organise fair elections so we make sure of his alleged popularity?”
The survey, titled: ‘Charting their own course: How Indonesians see the world,' asked respondents about a range of topics, including whether they would favour companies, banks or investment funds from eight particular countries purchasing a majority share in major Indonesian firms. It found Saudi Arabia the most popular with 57%, with the U.S. at 42%.
The survey further showed that the majority of respondents, at a staggering 74 percent, said they had confidence in the leadership of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with 57%, followed by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed with 52%.
