Amien Rais' election<\/p>\n
Tuesday evening's election of the People's Consultative
\nAssembly speaker, broadcast live by a private TV station, gave
\nthe impression that democracy in Indonesia has been successfully
\nresuscitated.<\/p>\n
Many people later said they had been caught by surprise by the
\nnomination of Mohammad Amien Rais, who was one among many
\ncandidates from bigger political groupings. Amien is chairman of
\nthe National Mandate Party (PAN), which emerged from the June
\ngeneral election with only 7 percent of the vote.<\/p>\n
Moreover, talk around town had it that Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
\nleader Abdurrahman \"Gus Dur\" Wahid would be given the post.
\nPoliticians of some leading parties had earlier said that Gus
\nDur, whose followers regard him as \"the nation's guru\", was fit
\nto lead the nation's highest constitutional body.<\/p>\n
As the counting of the ballot continued late into the night
\nand had people on the edge of their seats, the result staggered
\neven more people. Amien won the election. Reports said that he
\nwas not only supported by his caucus, the \"axis force\", but also
\nby the Golkar Party, the second largest political party behind
\nthe Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).<\/p>\n
Judging by Amien's declining popularity within his own party,
\nmany observers doubt that many PAN members voted for him in the
\nelection.<\/p>\n
The runner-up of the election was Matori Abdul Jalil, chairman
\nof the National Awakening Party (PKB), whose supporters consist
\nof NU members. PKB has been PDI Perjuangan's dedicated bedfellow
\nfor months.<\/p>\n
Amien and Matori have their own pluses and minuses. Amien has
\na better educational background. He got his doctorate decree from
\nChicago University, the U.S., but has less political experience
\nthan Matori, who was secretary-general of the United Development
\nParty (PPP) and a member of the House of Representatives for
\nyears.<\/p>\n
But Matori was educated at home, and mostly at Islamic
\ntraditional schools. Amien was also largely recognized as the
\nvanguard of reform and together with Jakarta students he played a
\npivotal role in the struggle to force president Soeharto to
\nresign last year.<\/p>\n
In this political map, the support given to Amien and elements
\nof the Golkar Party cannot possibly be understood by many, since
\nthe party has reportedly reached an undeclared agreement with PDI
\nPerjuangan.<\/p>\n
Many believe a deal was made between Golkar and Amien. While
\nthe truth of this notion still has to be proven, one thing is
\ntrue: PDI Perjuangan evidently suffered a loss at Matori's
\nfailure. But few believe PDI Perjuangan's disappointment will
\naffect the election of its chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri to
\nthe presidency three weeks from now, for which the party will
\ndepend so much upon the support of Golkar members.<\/p>\n
Such expectation is no secret in today's political game in a
\nnation that is new at democracy. Such a game seems to have been
\nubiquitously reflected in the focus of the game, with parties
\nfielding all sorts of figures and declaring who deserved which
\npost, instead of concentrating on getting the system right and
\nworking out the program.<\/p>\n
This political culture might prompt ambitious politicians to
\npractice the dirty game of money politics, which many believe
\nhas been covertly pursued. It is also possible we will see a
\ntrace of tragic comedy in which a certain group will pull the rug
\nout from under some self-assertive lame-duck presidential
\naspirant. This trend in no way helps the country, which is facing
\na calamitous, multidimensional crisis.<\/p>\n
In the wake of Amien Rais' triumph, many are convinced
\nthat the professor of political science and former leader of
\nMuhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization,
\nis not a bad choice. He was outspoken even under Soeharto's iron-
\nfisted rule. We hope his ascent to the position of Assembly
\nspeaker will not see the reform movement veer from its ideal.<\/p>\n
Since he now holds the country's highest job, we also hope he
\nwill act as a true statesman, improve his personal style where
\ndemocratic values are concerned and be more consistent in his
\nstance, for example by only making statements which he can
\ntranslate into practice.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/amien-rais-election-1447893297",
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