The parallel between talent shows and politics<\/p>\n
Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Almost no one here, young and old, boys and girls, even
\npreschool children, has not seen the popular television program
\nAkademi Fantasi Indosiar (AFI), which is based on Mexican La
\nAcademia, where audience members vote for their favorite singer.<\/p>\n
Another private channel, RCTI, broadcasts a similar program,
\nIndonesian Idol. Everyone watching the final of the first season
\nof AFI was confident that Mawar, a talented singer from Bandung,
\nwould win because she was considered by many to have a high-
\npowered, diva-esque voice.<\/p>\n
The final, however, saw Ferry, a contestant from Medan,
\nreceive the most votes. The public voted for him not because he
\nhad as good a voice as Mawar, but more likely because he was so
\nhumble and rather good looking. That he is the son of a pedicab
\ndriver might have been an additional factor that influenced
\npeople to vote for him.<\/p>\n
As we can see, this competition was not totally about talent.
\nThere was a lot more to it. It was about how individual
\npreferences aggregate a nationwide decision. It is also about how
\nsociety, especially the younger members, make their choices.
\nThus, it is much like democratic politics.<\/p>\n
One sees parallels between AFI and politics. An AFI-type
\ncontest will come to politics next month when the five
\npresidential contestants compete for the ultimate seat of power:
\nMerdeka Palace.<\/p>\n
Just like the AFI contestants who before performing do a
\nlittle bit of campaigning to garner support, all of the
\npresidential candidates will have to convince the crowds of their
\nnational agendas during a month-long campaign. It is through this
\nprocess that the weaknesses and strengths of each presidential
\ncandidates will be exposed.<\/p>\n
What we will see in this unprecedented direct presidential
\nelection, as in AFI, is not only the extent to which the
\ncandidates will go to garner support, but also how the public
\nwill view their backgrounds, their way of presenting ideas, etc.
\nWhat really matters for them is not to be detached from the
\nemotional bond with their supporters. This is to suggest that in
\npolitics, sheer ability or popularity are never enough, nor are
\npolitical and economic programs.<\/p>\n
It is assumed all of the presidential candidates will maximize
\nthe use of their respective political machineries. Most
\nsupporters of the candidates believe their machinery will do the
\njob to win the presidency.<\/p>\n
The AFI contestants don't have any machinery to win votes, but
\nthey did go through series of training sessions to get the best
\nout of their performances. With the help of their machinery,
\nmanaged by the so-called campaign strategy experts, all of the
\npresidential candidates will do their utmost to attract votes.<\/p>\n
Since this is going to be a direct election that involves
\ncertain political truisms, in the end it is the public vote that
\nreally counts and not the political machinery, however reliable
\nand sophisticated the machinery may be.<\/p>\n
The machinery will have its limits and only provide the
\ncandidates with certain political guidelines when they face the
\npublic, meaning that they will be on their own afterward. In
\nother words, how many votes the candidates get will depend on
\ntheir ability to capitalize on whatever tactics they have to
\nconnect with the voters.<\/p>\n
On might see, for example, the case of Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, who has scored high in opinion polls. A public survey
\nhere in recent months ranked him as the number one contender. If
\nhe happens to win enough votes to reach the final round of the
\nelection, it will not be solely because of his political platform
\nor his political machinery, but it might be due to his posture,
\nhis good looks or his decision to quit the Cabinet after a
\nserious rift with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her
\nhusband, who chided him publicly for acting like a child. Thus,
\npublic sympathy for certain candidates will be shaped by
\nnonpolitical factors.<\/p>\n
With the presidential election less than a month away, the
\nsecond season of AFI is providing the public with more political
\nlessons on how to explore and expose real democracy. President
\nMegawati, as if she was hosting the contest, has reminded the
\npublic to vote according to their conscience (The Jakarta Post,
\nMay 31).<\/p>\n
She must be aware of the fact that the exercise of democracy
\ncannot be detached totally from the inner feelings of the voters.
\nBy reminding the public of this, she is actually attempting to
\nconnect with her voters and remind them of what she thinks has
\nbeen her greatest achievements or the fact that she is former
\npresident Sukarno's daughter.<\/p>\n
The ultimate power trip to Merdeka Palace will not be an easy
\none for the presidential candidates. The current campaign will
\nprovide the public with the opportunity to assess how and what
\nthe candidates have to say about themselves as well as about the
\nfuture of the country.<\/p>\n
All of the candidates know at the outset that the "political
\nequipment" they have at their disposal will be insignificant once
\nthey are in public. That is to suggest that the road to the top
\nwill be determined solely by the inner feeling of the voters.<\/p>\n
The writer (bandoro@csis.or.id) is the editor of The
\nIndonesian Quarterly at the Centre for Strategic and
\nInternational Studies (CSIS). He is also a lecturer in the
\nInternational Relations Postgraduate Studies Program at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Science.<\/p>",
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