The election aftermath<\/p>\n
With about 50 percent of the votes counted by Sunday
\nafternoon, we can now probably get a clearer picture of the final
\nresult of the April 5 legislative election -- and also the
\ndirection and performance of the country's legislative bodies in
\nthe next five years. The preliminary result of the poll, for
\nwhich nearly 148 million voters were registered, has also been
\nable to provide us a better view of the landscape of the July 5
\ndirect presidential election, for which coalitions among
\npolitical parties are inevitable.<\/p>\n
It is very likely that the nationalist political parties,
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party earlier led by former
\npresident Soeharto, will control the largest number of seats in
\nthe House of Representatives (DPR). Due to the poor record of the
\nparty, the PDI-P may not likely be able to retain the 33.7
\npercent of popular votes it won in 1999, while Golkar has a
\nchance to surpass its 22.4 percent record five years ago.<\/p>\n
The preliminary result shows that with the established parties
\nin control, the condition of the House or the legislative bodies
\nat the regional level will not change much. Features such as
\nhorse trading, abuse of power, corruption and over-zealous
\ncontrol of the government will possibly retain their strong mark
\nin the House in the next five years.<\/p>\n
One could indeed agree with observers who saw indications of a
\ndesire for change, as reflected in the surprising performance of
\nthe Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). But
\nwith far fewer votes compared to the established parties so far,
\none is led to conclude that while people may want change, it is
\nnot drastic change they are hoping for.<\/p>\n
Voters for the newer parties could be said to be disillusioned
\nbecause the politicians who benefited from the 1999 polls largely
\nturned a deaf ear to the people's aspirations once they won
\npublic support. This is one reason why the newly established
\nDemocratic Party and the newly reborn PKS achieved a phenomenal
\nresult in this legislative election. Votes for the Democratic
\nParty have been attributed to the desire for a new leader, in
\nthis case the party's cofounder, former security minister Gen.
\n(ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
The PKS has come this far not just because it is a Muslim-
\nbased party -- the country has some similar more established
\nparties -- but because the party in the last five years has shown
\nsome results in carrying out its goal to create a clean,
\neffective and strong government. The public impression is that
\nits legislators at all levels have largely proved that so far
\nthey could resist the temptation of corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism.<\/p>\n
There is however some concern especially among non-Muslims
\nabout PKS's real commitment to pluralism, and whether the party
\nwill be able to create a sense of security among the minorities.
\nWe believe that in implementing its political platform PKS will
\ntake an inclusive attitude, protecting all the citizens of the
\nnation.<\/p>\n
As for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) where each
\nof the 32 provinces will be represented by four seats, only time
\nwill tell how this council will perform, as it is a totally new
\nbody.<\/p>\n
The question now is whether the country can live up to the
\npraise of international observers that the election, despite
\nseveral shortcomings, proceeded peacefully.<\/p>\n
In the July 5 presidential election the temptation for
\nviolence would be stronger as voters, for the first time, face
\nindividual candidates for the presidential and vice presidential
\nseats, rather than the political parties. A runoff will be held
\non Sept. 20 in the event of the likelihood that no candidate wins
\na simple majority.<\/p>\n
Regardless of ongoing negotiations to form coalitions among
\nseveral political parties, there are strong indications that
\nleaders of the political parties intend to run in the
\npresidential election.<\/p>\n
While it is natural for a democracy to have many candidates
\nfor its top posts, the high number of candidates would also
\ncreate problems, because voters will be severely divided, and
\nthis could lead to political upheavals and violence.<\/p>\n
While waiting for the final results of the legislative
\nelection, we call on the leaders of the political parties to act
\nas statesmen in facing the presidential election and not just to
\nsatisfy their hunger and thirst for fame and power. It would be
\ntoo costly for the nation if leaders only pursue their narrow
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
Whatever the result of the legislative election, we believe
\nthat despite the lack of necessary information on the new system,
\npeople have tried to prepare themselves as best they can in
\nelecting their new leader. They proved their maturity in the
\nrecent election, and they are more than capable of repeating such
\nwisdom.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-election-aftermath-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}