Tallying the votes<\/p>\n
With more than 80 percent of votes counted as of late
\nyesterday, it is safe to say that few surprises have come from
\nThursday's general election for the House of Representatives
\nmembers and regional legislatures.<\/p>\n
As widely expected, the dominant Golkar is at this stage
\nsecurely headed toward the landslide victory its leaders
\nprojected. As of late yesterday, Golkar had secured around 74
\npercent of the vote, well above the group's 70.2 percent target.<\/p>\n
As has also been predicted, the Moslem-based United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) can expect to see its representation in
\nthe national legislature grow. As of late yesterday, the party
\nhad secured 24 percent of the vote, a considerable increase
\ncompared to the 17 percent it garnered in the 1992 election.<\/p>\n
If anything comes close to a surprise, it is the severity of
\nthe blow the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) has suffered.
\nCertainly, after the split it suffered as a result of an ongoing
\nleadership dispute, the party's poor performance in the election
\nsurprises no one. But the pitiful 3 percent of votes it has
\nmanaged to garner so far is certainly far below the 15 percent it
\nobtained in the 1992 general election to be ascribed to plain bad
\nluck.<\/p>\n
The more rational explanation appears to be that the incurable
\nleadership rift within the party has motivated many PDI
\nsupporters to switch their allegiance. For the most part, it
\nseems, this has been in favor of the PPP. Still unknown, however,
\nis the number of Indonesians -- former PDI supporters and others
\n-- who voted \"Golput\", by either abstaining from voting or
\ndeliberately rendering their ballots invalid in protest.<\/p>\n
While the final count is yet to be taken, a tentative estimate
\nwould allot 325 of the 425 contested seats in the national
\nlegislature to Golkar, with 87 seats going to the PPP and 13 to
\nthe PDI. So far, it appears that everything has gone smoothly,
\nand while a few isolated protests against the election results
\nhave been reported, it is hoped that no violence will further mar
\nthe election process and that the final count will be acceptable
\nto all.<\/p>\n
Amid the relief that voting has proceeded smoothly, it must be
\nnoted that, even with the counting still in progress, allegations
\nof widespread fraud and vote-rigging have already been coming in
\nfrom Golkar's main contender in the general election, the PPP.
\nSimilar allegations have also come from the Independent Election
\nMonitoring Committee (KIPP). The PPP executive board is
\nreportedly expected to meet soon to decide whether or not the
\nparty will accept the official results.<\/p>\n
While it may be easy to shrug off such complaints as being an
\nalmost established part of general elections in many countries,
\nespecially in the developing world, it is important to examine
\nthese allegations if we are serious in our intention to gradually
\nestablish a healthy working democracy in which justice and
\nprosperity can prevail together, as envisaged by our founding
\nfathers.<\/p>\n
Surely, no one in his right mind wants our pace of economic
\ngrowth and development -- already among the highest in this
\nregion -- to slacken, much less to be stopped or reversed. It is
\nfor the sake of the well-being of present and future generations
\nof Indonesians that this pace be maintained or, if possible, be
\nstepped up. To that end, the preservation of a genuine and
\ndynamic stability, both economic and political, is imperative.<\/p>\n
Let us hope that this year's general election will prove to be
\ninstrumental in bringing about the proper conditions to enable us
\nto reach that goal within the not-too-distant future.<\/p>",
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