A brief respite<\/p>\n
We can all breathe a sigh of relief that the official election
\ncampaign has finally come to an end. Relief not only because the
\npast 17 days have been relatively free from the widespread
\nviolence, but also because we can all get back to our normal
\nroutines. The campaign period may have brought a festive mood for
\nsome, but to most people it was very disruptive.<\/p>\n
The campaign period has had its share of casualties too. Early
\nthis week, police said it recorded 174 campaign-related deaths.
\nMost died in traffic accidents, which is not surprising given
\nthat traffic laws were violated by party campaigners. Some were
\nkilled in clashes between supporters of different parties. But
\nthese clashes were sporadic and not as widespread as many of us
\nhad dreaded.<\/p>\n
The casualty figure is low by Indonesian standards,
\nparticularly considering incidents of violent unrest in several
\nparts of the country in the months preceding the official
\ncampaign period. Sectarian conflicts in Ambon (Maluku) and Sambas
\n(West Kalimantan), precampaign clashes between supporters of
\ndifferent political parties in Jepara and Pekalongan (Central
\nJava) and in Buleleng (Bali), plus the turbulent campaign in the
\nlast election in 1997 raised the specter of a violent period when
\nthe official campaign period began on May 19. It was frightening
\nenough for the government to move summer school holidays forward
\nby one month, for the military and police to deploy their forces
\nin full, and for many wealthy Indonesians to seek temporary safe
\nhaven abroad.<\/p>\n
While we may take pride in having disproved our own fears, we
\ncan hardly be proud about the quality or substance of the
\nelection campaign in promoting political communication between
\npoliticians and the masses. Our politicians may have succeeded in
\ncreating a carnival mood, but they failed to reach out to the
\nmasses, particularly in conveying their vision and message. The
\nonly real message to have come out of the campaign monologues and
\ndialogs broadcast by all TV stations every day was that Indonesia
\nhas few politicians with the vision and communication skills
\nnecessary to lead the country. But at least we know the
\nchallenges facing us, and this is something to consider in future
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Given the irrelevance of the campaign in terms of promoting
\npolitical communication, one wonders whether it was really
\nnecessary to have a campaign period, with all the security risks
\nit entailed. Campaigning however, is an inseparable part of the
\nelectoral process, a process we have to go through every time we
\nconduct a general election. Since we all agree that a democratic
\ngeneral election is important in establishing a legitimate and
\ncredible government, we have no choice but to follow the entire
\nprocess. What we have to do is eliminate, or at least minimize,
\nthe likelihood of violence.<\/p>\n
While the campaign stage passed in relative peace and calm,
\nthere are still several other phases to go through. Each of these
\nwill be equally prone to violence, if not more, especially as the
\nelection process builds to a climax with the presidential
\nelection in November.<\/p>\n
There is still the question of whether the elections will be
\nfree and fair. Violations of rules by just about every major
\nparty during the campaign period, allegations of money politics,
\nand the inability of the General Elections Commission to stop the
\nviolations, let alone punish the errant parties, have raised
\nserious doubts that the elections will be free and fair, even
\nwith the strong presence of foreign observers.<\/p>\n
There is the question of whether the election results, once
\nannounced, will be accepted by the public, particularly by the
\nlosing parties, irrespective of whether the elections were free
\nand fair. There is the question of the kind of coalition forces
\nthat will emerge in the House of Representatives, and whether
\nthey will be acceptable to the public, and more importantly,
\nwhether the coalition will be workable and sustainable. Finally,
\nthere is the November General Session of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly to elect a president, and the question of
\nwhether that process will be fair and whether the elected
\npresident will have the public's support.<\/p>\n
The road to democracy is long and perilous. But it is the only
\nroad leading to the establishment of a legitimate and credible
\ngovernment, which this country so desperately needs if it ever
\nwants to get out of the crisis. We have to take that road no
\nmatter what, and deal with risks as they happen.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-brief-respite-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}