RI polls say democracy a heady brew<\/p>\n
Thang D. Nguyen, The Straits Times, Asia News Network, Singapore<\/p>\n
As Indonesia celebrates its 59th anniversary of independence
\nlast week, it is appropriate to reflect on the democratic
\nprogress it has achieved thus far.<\/p>\n
Considering how young democracy is in Indonesia since the end
\nof the Soeharto era and how long it has taken others to build a
\ndemocratic nation, the presidential election this year is
\ncertainly an exemplary one.<\/p>\n
On July 5, roughly 153 million Indonesians turned out to
\nselect their next national leader in the first direct
\npresidential election in the history of the world's largest
\nMuslim-majority nation.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian electorate has shown an appreciation of voting,
\na democratic right that is often forbidden or taken for granted
\nelsewhere in the world.<\/p>\n
In dictatorships or non-democratic regimes, voting does not
\nexist. In other societies, voters may vote, but their mandates
\nare not accepted by the ruling regimes.<\/p>\n
This is certainly the case of Myanmar, where voting was
\ngranted about a decade ago, but its people's overwhelming choice
\nof Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was never acknowledged.
\nWhat is more, the junta leadership has yet to release her from
\nhouse arrest, despite many calls from the international
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n
It is often forgotten that voting is a luxury not all citizens
\ncan afford.<\/p>\n
In other words, voting or political activities, such as
\nparticipating in election campaigns, takes time, energy and
\nresources the poor do not have.<\/p>\n
When a voter's main concern is to put food on the table, for
\nhimself or his family, voting is arguably the last thing on his
\nmind.<\/p>\n
As much as he may want to join election campaigns to support
\nhis preferred presidential candidate and vote, economic
\nconditions simply don't allow him to and, therefore, he is not
\nnecessarily considered politically indifferent.<\/p>\n
Political indifference, on the other hand, is a phenomenon in
\nwhich an individual's economic conditions allow him to vote, but
\nhe decides not to.<\/p>\n
It is either because he is too occupied with other pursuits in
\nlife or simply not interested in politics, based on his belief
\nthat it does not, or will not, make his life any better.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon happens in some First World countries in which
\nmost citizens enjoy high standards of living.<\/p>\n
For instance, the United States, which considers itself the
\ndemocratic beacon of the world, has a relatively low voter
\nturnout. In the 2000 presidential election, the U.S. voter
\nturnout rate was just 51 percent. Interestingly enough, this was
\na period during which the U.S. economy was doing well.<\/p>\n
For Indonesia, where 40 percent of its 220 million people are
\nunemployed or underemployed, its democratic progress, as seen in
\nits steady voter turnout rate, is indeed remarkable and
\nencouraging.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, this year's election has shown the Indonesian
\nelectorate to be mature -- if not sophisticated. For the first
\ntime in the nation's history, voters seemed to pay more attention
\nto issues.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia -- like most other Southeast Asian countries --
\npolitical culture is, for the most part, personality-based and
\ntraditional authority-oriented.<\/p>\n
In other words, apart from money politics, voters are
\ninfluenced by a candidate's charisma and advice from tribal heads
\nor religious leaders when making their electoral decisions.<\/p>\n
When asked if they would base their voting rationale on a
\ncandidate's personality or his policy, a June survey conducted by
\nthe International Foundation for Election Systems showed 43
\npercent of those polled said both factors matter equally.<\/p>\n
Among issues of concern to most voters, corruption ranks the
\nhighest.<\/p>\n
For this reason, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired general
\nwho was the coordinating minister for political and security
\naffairs until March, is the most popular candidate. The main
\nreason is that he is perceived as someone who is still clean, or
\nbersih in Indonesian.<\/p>\n
As a candidate needs more than 50 percent of the votes to win
\nthe election, the results of the July 5 election mean that
\nretired general Susilo, as Indonesians call him, and incumbent
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri will face each other in a final
\nrun-off scheduled for Sept. 20.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, it is also worth noting that there has been
\nvirtually no violence from the time the campaign started in March
\ntill the legislative-level elections in April and election day
\nitself, when millions of Indonesians turned out to vote.<\/p>\n
What is most positive about the Indonesian elections is that
\nthey illustrate not only can democracy exist, but it can also
\nflourish in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.<\/p>\n
Amid raging global debates on whether Islam is compatible with
\ndemocracy, Indonesia's democratic process is most encouraging.<\/p>\n
However, while Indonesians look forward to next month's run-
\noff and their next leadership, they need to be reminded that
\ndemocracy is not an end in itself.<\/p>\n
Rather, it is a means to prosperity, security and job
\ncreation.<\/p>\n
This means if the newly elected government can't deliver the
\ngoods as promised during the election campaign, democracy will be
\nmeaningless, and the people will become disillusioned.<\/p>\n
As for others around the world who are observing Indonesia's
\nelections, they, too, need a reminder, which is: Be patient.
\nDemocracy is not instant coffee; and if you don't grow, brew and
\nserve it right, you will get a nasty drink.<\/p>\n
The writer, a former regional manager for Asia at the World
\nEconomic Forum, is a Jakarta-based columnist. His forthcoming
\nbook is The Indonesian Dream: Diversity, Unity And Democracy In
\nTimes Of Distrust.<\/p>",
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