RI's elitist democracy fails the people<\/p>\n
Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
More than four years since the student-led people power movement
\nended three decades of tyranny, one's first impression of
\nIndonesia today is that democracy is very much alive. The
\npolitical arena is a battle for dozens of political parties,
\nelected politicians are far more vocal in raising issues, and the
\nfree media is doing its job in exposing scandals after scandals.<\/p>\n
But if democracy is meant to be "government for the people by
\nthe people", that has rarely been the case for Indonesia. It is
\nmore appropriate to describe Indonesia's democracy today as
\ngovernment for the elite by the elite. Democracy, or reformasi
\nwhich ushered in the new era of political openness in Indonesia,
\nhas practically passed the people by all these last four years.<\/p>\n
The wong cilik (little people) whom many today's politicians
\nclaim to represent, and the same ones who sent these politicians
\nto their cozy offices in the 1999 elections, are missing out on
\nthe fruits of their own labor and struggle.<\/p>\n
For many of them, there has been nothing but pain and misery,
\nand because of the feeling of being let down, apathy has also
\nstarted to creep in.<\/p>\n
"Aren't they supposed to be working for us?" a Jakarta taxi
\ndriver groans when commenting on the members of the People's
\nConsultative Assembly (MPR) who are gathering for their annual
\nmeeting this week to determine the fate of the country.<\/p>\n
Constitutional amendment, being the main agenda of the MPR
\nmeeting, is hardly in the radar's screen of this taxi driver.
\nLike many in his condition, he just wants to send his children to
\nschool, but he can't.<\/p>\n
"School is very expensive now. What are the politicians doing
\nfor people like me?<\/p>\n
"I never cried in my life before, but this time I can't stop
\nit. I'm working like hell night and day, but I still don't have
\nenough to pay for the school fees."<\/p>\n
His discontent with today's elected politicians inevitably led
\nhim to reminisce the "good old days" of the Soeharto regime, when
\nhe could afford many of the basic amenities in life, such as
\nschooling for his children, even on a small income.<\/p>\n
"Reformasi (reform) is mere empty words," the driver says,
\nnoting that, thanks to the soaring inflation in 1998-99, just
\nabout everything else has become expensive, while his real income
\nhas declined or at best remained stagnant.<\/p>\n
Many like him have also become apathetic to the seemingly
\nendless political news, particularly their bickering, which the
\nfree Indonesia media has faithfully reported every day.<\/p>\n
Witness the way that the nation's TV stations have move many
\nof the political talk-show programs, which once dominated their
\nprogramming, out of the peak hours or shelved them altogether.
\nTheir slots have now been taken by programs like ketoprak humor
\n(a humorous traditional Javanese play) and Srimulat.<\/p>\n
If reformasi was supposed to have launched Indonesia on the
\nlearning curve of democracy, it is the nation's political elite,
\nrather than people, who still have a lot to catch up.<\/p>\n
While members of the elite are busy playing politics and
\nlearning the ropes of democracy, they are forgeting the one very
\nbasic principle about democracy: the people.<\/p>\n
Valina Singka, a lecturer at the Indonesian University and a
\nmember of the General Election Commission (KPU), says politics is
\nactually only a tool to help improve people's welfare.<\/p>\n
However, politics is also identical with power.<\/p>\n
"This power must be used for the sake of the people and their
\nprosperity," she says.<\/p>\n
Many elected politicians today have failed to see the
\nconnection between the power they are entrusted with, and their
\nduty towards the people who put them where they are.<\/p>\n
"They must know that they have failed to fulfill the
\naspirations of their constituents," she says.<\/p>\n
Valina still banks her hope on the MPR completing the current
\nprocess of amending the constitution that would allow Indonesia
\nto vote its leaders and government in a more democratic way and
\nat the same time make fully accountable to the people.<\/p>\n
She recognizes the danger of the growing apathy to Indonesia's
\nnascent democracy, including the possibility that many people
\nwould simply refuse to vote in 2004.<\/p>\n
"There's the risk. But I think people must exercise their
\ncivic rights. They could start monitoring carefully which parties
\nare more serious in fighting for their interests."<\/p>\n
Their bitter feeling towards today's elected politicians
\nshould tell them not to vote for the same representatives or
\nparty, in the next election, she says.<\/p>\n
This, she adds, should form part of the people's political
\neducation process.<\/p>\n
Indira Damayanti Bambang Sugondo of the Indonesian Democratic
\nof People Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) admits that many parties have
\nbroken their promises made during their 1999 election campaigns.<\/p>\n
Indira, who recently relinquished her seat at the House of
\nRepresentatives because of disagreements with her party leaders,
\nsays voters should assess the characters of the candidates in the
\n2004 elections.<\/p>\n
"Being wealthy is no guarantee that candidates will stay clean
\nonce they get elected," she says.<\/p>\n
She too finds a lot of despondency among many people who feel
\nthat the politicians they elected in 1999 to represent them have
\nnot performed up to expectation.<\/p>\n
As a result, many more people have simply become turned off by
\npolitical news.<\/p>\n
"At this rate, more and more people will forfeit their right
\nto vote in the 2004 general election," she says. "And that would
\nbe a setback for Indonesia."<\/p>",
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