Time running out for electoral reforms<\/p>\n
By Arbi Sanit<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The recent efforts by a House of
\nRepresentative's faction to reform the electoral law have
\nseemingly stalled. The powerful Armed Forces faction in the House
\nsaid it had no objection to changing the law but added that time
\nwas running short prior to the poll.<\/p>\n
The next general election will be held next year.<\/p>\n
The Moslem-based United Development Party (PPP) has sought
\nHouse support for electoral reform since January. The proposal
\nwon immediate support from the tiny Indonesian Democratic Party's
\nfaction but was rejected by the ruling Golkar faction. The House
\nhas 500 members.<\/p>\n
The fact that the Armed Forces faction's response was wrapped
\nin very diplomatic language was interesting.<\/p>\n
A political stance is always based on an argument and the
\npeople as holder of political sovereignty have the right to know
\nthe reason behind the objection.<\/p>\n
Judging from past experiences, the House indeed is capable of
\nmaking laws in relatively short time. This alone weakens
\nconsiderably the argument of the Armed Forces faction.<\/p>\n
The House took between seven and 37 weeks to make laws during
\nthe 1987-1992 period. The 1988\/1989 draft budget bill, for
\nexample, was completed in only one month and 21 days. The law
\nlongest in the making was the national education bill. It took
\nthe House nine months and six days to complete.<\/p>\n
Even supposing discussions on electoral law reform will be
\ntough, it is not likely to take more than nine months to come up
\nwith a new law. And there would be another six months left before
\nthe elections.<\/p>\n
Hence, the ABRI faction's argument appears to be a counter
\npolitical maneuver to PPP's. Saying it did not object to
\nreforming the law may have been a face-saving move. In effect, it
\nis robbing PPP of supporters' sympathy earned because it has
\nlistened to the people's aspiration, as reflected in its
\nproposal.<\/p>\n
The question remains as to why ABRI has been so diplomatic.
\nWhy did it abandon its usual straightforwardness in responding to
\npolitical issues?<\/p>\n
Let's review the political change ABRI has undergone in recent
\nyears. From the beginning of the New Order, ABRI has been a major
\npolitical force. It was not until the mid 1980s that estrangement
\nbegan between ABRI and the government.<\/p>\n
By the 1990s this had turned into open rivalry for influence
\nand power. Rival groups established special access to decision
\nmakers. ABRI needed to secure its access to the center of power.
\nIn this context, ABRI established a common political stance with
\nGolkar while striving to build and preserve its image as a
\nsociopolitical force in society.<\/p>\n
However, this approach can no longer work. The people nowadays
\nhave come of age as the result of the successful development
\ninitiated by the Armed Forces and other groups. The mature
\nsociety demands a political system that incorporates public
\nopinion in processing political development. In this condition,
\nonly rational and factual political arguments can survive.<\/p>\n
Only by realizing that the old political practice based on
\nforce and regulation has faded away can ABRI renew its political
\napproach. It should learn to exploit the potential of rational
\npolitical arguments based on facts to shape public opinion. The
\nold political practice which characterized Indonesian politics
\nfor 30 years has come to an end.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lecturer of political science at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/time-running-out-for-electoral-reforms-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}