The bumpy road to democracy<\/p>\n
Almost three months since the June 7 general election -- which
\nmany observers still refer to as a landmark for the country after
\nmore than three decades of authoritarian rule -- the electoral
\nprocess of putting together a democratic and representative
\nnational legislature is far from complete, even on paper.<\/p>\n
Over the past three months, the General Elections Commission
\n(KPU) has struggled to meet its vote-counting deadlines and allot
\nseats in the House of Representatives. One problem after another
\nhas cropped up to obstruct the effectiveness of the commission,
\nthereby reducing its credibility as an independent democratic
\ninstitution.<\/p>\n
And even though at this stage the only major stumbling block
\nin the process appears to be the allotment of a few seats in the
\nHouse on the basis of residual votes, a smooth finalization of
\nthe process cannot be guaranteed. Protests and objections can
\nstill be expected from dissatisfied parties unacquainted with the
\nworkings of a democratic society.<\/p>\n
For an illustration of some of the difficulties which could
\nawait the commission, one only has to look at the protests that
\nhave accompanied the installation of provincial and regency-level
\nlegislatures in various parts of the country over the past week.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, for example, the installation on Tuesday of 43
\nmembers of the city's legislative council was interrupted by
\nprotests from legislators from the United Development Party (PPP)
\nand the minority Justice Party (PK). The legislators were upset
\nbecause they felt the inclusion of some members on the council
\nwent against agreed procedures. Similar incidents have occurred
\nin Bogor and in other provinces and regencies across the country.<\/p>\n
Most of the objections -- raised either by fellow members of
\nthe newly appointed legislatures or by protesters demonstrating
\noutside -- seem to revolve around the question of whether the
\nunwelcome legislator in question is \"reformist\" enough to
\nrepresent the people.<\/p>\n
As seems to be true in many cases, though, these protests
\ncould simply be old-fashioned political rivalries. In any case,
\nsuch protests and objections -- minor as they may seem in
\ncomparison to the endless bickering in the KPU and the General
\nElections Committee (PPI) -- reflect the difficulty all too many
\nIndonesians are having in accepting the consequences of
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Because the names of all candidates for the national and
\nregional legislatures were published and objections from the
\npublic were invited weeks before the actual balloting on June 7,
\nthe KPU can hardly be blamed for the public's ignorance. For the
\nmost part, it was the haste with which the June 7 ballot was
\norganized that prevented the public from acquainting themselves
\nwith important details that would have future consequences.<\/p>\n
At this point, however, this is all water under the bridge.
\nGiven the urgency of reform and the little time that is left the
\ncommission and the country to complete the electoral process, the
\nbest that can be done now is to make sure no further obstacles
\nhamper the establishment of a democratic system of government.<\/p>\n
Our hope is that all those who have been so honored to
\nrepresent the people are aware that the well-being of more than
\n200 million Indonesians can be ensured only through the
\nestablishment of a healthy and working democracy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-bumpy-road-to-democracy-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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