Orderly campaigns<\/p>\n
Although the rules that have been set down by the General
\nElections Commission in Decree No. 701\/2003 last year were
\nobviously welcomed by the Indonesian public, a number of
\nquestions remain that need to be cleared up well before the
\nthree-week long campaigning period ahead of the April 4
\nlegislative elections kicks off.<\/p>\n
The problem is not so much the fear that the nation's newly
\nfound freedom -- especially the freedom of expression -- could
\nspark off inter-party clashes that could prove to be too strong
\nfor the security officers to contain and resolve. The problem
\ncenters on whether the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu)
\nis adequately equipped to monitor, interpret and intercede in
\ncases of unfair treatment of election candidates, real or
\nperceived.<\/p>\n
Already, a number of parties have complained that election
\nsupervisory committees in different regions appear to be either
\nexploiting existing loopholes or interpreting the details of the
\ndecree differently.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta General Elections Commission, for example, has
\nreported two political parties to the police for staging of
\ncampaign activities well ahead of March 11, which is the date the
\ncommission has named for campaigning to start. Similarly in
\nBanjarmasin, in the province of South Kalimantan, officials have
\nquestioned the leaders of 17 political parties accused of
\ncheating by starting their campaigns early.<\/p>\n
So far, however, these \"early campaigns\" have been relatively
\ninnocent, limited to marches and parades staged by party
\nsupporters in their hundreds, outfitted in official party
\nuniforms and carrying their party's banners.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the fact that so many parties have deemed it
\nproper to cheat on the regulations, even if not overtly, gives
\nsome cause for worry of what might be in store for the public
\nonce the official campaign period begins. Also, Indonesia's
\npolitical parties still seem to find it difficult to shake off
\nthe old tradition of staging large and noisy parades as a means
\nof seeking victory in elections.<\/p>\n
General Elections Commission Decree No. 701\/2003 makes it
\nclear that campaigners must be decent in their use of language in
\nspeeches, and refrain from directly attacking or vilifying rival
\nparties in the elections. Campaigns must be both orderly and
\neducational for the public at large -- that is to say, they must
\n\"provide useful information and educate the voters,\" the
\ncommission's decree stipulates. To be sure, in past years too
\ngeneral elections were held under similar -- if far less
\nstringent and elaborate -- regulations, yet sporadic cases of
\nviolence among supporters of different parties could not be
\nentirely prevented.<\/p>\n
In any case, the new regulations do raise the hope that this
\ntime around the election campaigns, which will last from March 11
\nto April 1, can effectively help to educate the Indonesian
\nelectorate. Surely, it is with this purpose in mind the decree
\nstates in Article 4 that the election campaigns must be designed
\nto inform the electorate of the vision, mission and programs of
\nthe participating parties concerned. Further, they must inform
\nthe electorate in sufficient detail of the policies the parties
\nin question plan to execute once they are in power.<\/p>\n
Such an achievement could help bring about the gradual
\nemergence in this country of an electorate that is more informed,
\nmore educated and more responsible than those of the past.
\nAchieving that goal would certainly enhance the good repute the
\nGeneral Elections Commission has already earned for itself so
\nfar. Of course, it will be a little difficult to expect,
\nespecially with the constant threat of violence hanging like the
\nsword of Damocles over the head of Indonesians, that the general
\nelection in April will be totally void of destructiveness and
\nviolence.<\/p>\n
However, if that goal can be achieved -- even if small
\nincidents of violence do occur here and there -- this country
\nwill have made an important step toward building a sound and
\nhealthy civil society. That would be one of the most important
\nachievements of the 2004 general election.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/orderly-campaigns-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}