The Golput phenomenon<\/p>\n
When Megawati Soekarnoputri announced last week her intention
\nnot to vote in the May 29 general election, it was very much what
\neveryone had expected. After all, she has been excluded from the
\nelection system that does not recognize her as the leader of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
It was a statement that Megawati had to make, if only to make
\nknown her position to her loyal PDI supporters, who are still
\nnumerous judging by their outpouring in the streets during the
\nrecently concluded election campaign.<\/p>\n
Her statement displeased the government, which fears her
\nsupporters would also boycott the election. Still, the statement
\nwas tactful. She did not urge others to follow in her footsteps,
\nbut told them to use their conscience in deciding whether or not
\nto use their right to vote on May 29. The 1985 Election Law
\nstipulates that voting is a right and not an obligation, but
\ncalling on others not to vote is a criminal offense. The result
\nof the election will tell whether the fear was founded.<\/p>\n
By going public with her intention, Megawati has put herself
\nat the top of the list of Golongan Putih (White Group), or Golput
\nfor short, a political term used to describe those discontented
\nwith the political system. They either stay away from polling
\nbooths on election day or spoil their ballot papers. Few people
\nhave been willing to risk being branded as members of Golput by
\npublicly announcing they will not vote.<\/p>\n
Golput surfaced in the first general election held under
\nPresident Soeharto in 1971. Since then, the controversy on
\nwhether one should or should not vote has been so politicized by
\nboth sides of the fence that there appears to be no middle
\nground. Those who vote are seen as supporters of the system, and
\nthose who don't are marked as opponents.<\/p>\n
There are many reasons not to vote, just as there are many
\nreasons why one should vote. Discontent is one reason and apathy
\nanother, but one could include infirmity and other difficulties
\nin getting to the polling booths. Unfortunately, because of the
\nstrong obsession with a large voter turnout, people who do not
\nvote have always been branded as members of Golput.<\/p>\n
Voter turnout in the six elections under President Soeharto
\nhas been about 90 percent, comparatively large compared with
\nother countries, except where voting is obligatory by law.
\nBecause of the Golput phenomenon in Indonesia, there seems to be
\na consensus in both camps that the abstention rate is a measure,
\nthough a rough one, of the level of people's discontent with the
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
This explains why many people were so upset at Megawati's
\nstatement, and also why the government and the three parties
\ncontesting the election -- Golkar, the United Development Party
\nand the PDI under Soerjadi -- have gone out of their way to
\nencourage people to vote in Thursday's general election.<\/p>\n
It is unfortunate that some campaigners have, knowingly or
\nnot, resorted to intimidation to get people to vote. Several
\ncampaigners have branded those who do not vote as opponents of
\nthe Pancasila political system, or as \"free riders\" in national
\ndevelopment. Others have said those who vote are \"good citizens\"
\nand those who don't are \"bad citizens\". One could counterargue
\nthat good citizens are those who abide by the law, pay taxes and
\nrefrain from any form of corruption, which all parties, judging
\nby their campaign slogans, agree is a malady in our country.<\/p>\n
Given the increasing intensity in the Golput debate and the
\nconfusion it has created, it is time to ponder whether or not
\nvoting should be made obligatory once and for all. This would
\nspare the need for intimidation and creating fear among people to
\nget a large voter turnout. If the election is an instrument of
\npolitical education for the masses, intimidation defeats that
\nobjective. As long as the law makes voting an act of free choice,
\nthen the ultimate decision on whether or not to use that right
\nmust be the individual's conscience, free from all kinds of
\npressure, fear and intimidation.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-golput-phenomenon-1447893297",
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