Tip of the iceberg?<\/p>\n
Young grassroots supporters, including party guards, of the
\ncountry's two most influential political parties -- the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan) and the
\nGolkar Party -- clashed recently in the regency of Buleleng,
\nBali, leaving two persons dead.<\/p>\n
The irony was that they came there for the same purpose; to
\ncommemorate the lofty ideals of Youth Pledge Day, Oct. 28. Nobody
\nwas supposed to start the election campaign so early but
\napparently they could not control their political emotions. No
\ncampaign slogans and no party banners were permitted but they
\nbroke their promises when they saw how enthusiastic were their
\nopponents in their show-of-force parade.<\/p>\n
The young party supporters went for each other simply because
\nmentally they are ill-prepared for democracy. And the blame must
\nbe laid primarily on the shoulders of the political leaderships
\nin their respective headquarters.
\n The Buleleng affair is a good example of political negligence in
\ndemocratic education on the part of party leaderships.<\/p>\n
There are now grounds to fear that the accidental encounter of
\nthe two groups of party supporters in Bali was just the tip of
\nthe iceberg.<\/p>\n
The next "festival of democracy", as some people like to refer
\nto general elections in our country, may turn out not to be an
\nexercise in democracy but rather another "experiment" in
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
The huge budget and the big fanfare, the setting up of
\nelection committees and watchdogs, are not likely to drive off
\nthe dark clouds chasing each other across the sky.<\/p>\n
Already the beating drums are clearly being heard, and more
\nthan fifty party symbols will shortly produce even more confusion
\nin the minds of the electorate, who are still waiting for an
\nimprovement in their basic rights and welfare.<\/p>\n
GANDHI SUKARDI
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tip-of-the-iceberg-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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