Vote and be counted<\/p>\n
It's decision time. Today is the final round of the
\npresidential election. For the first time since we declared
\nindependence in 1945, the people of this country have the
\nopportunity to decide directly who will lead us for the next five
\nyears.<\/p>\n
If we believe the fate of the country depends to a large
\nextent on its leaders, then this is an unprecedented opportunity
\nfor us to determine our own destiny, or at the very least, the
\ndirection in which the country will head. Our participation in
\nthe election, and therefore our vote, has never been more
\nimportant.<\/p>\n
This is a big step for Indonesia, which for the last six years
\nhas been making a conscious effort to build the nation upon more
\ndemocratic principles after enduring over three decades of
\ntyrannical rule. It has certainly been a hard struggle, but there
\nhas been a national consensus that direct presidential elections
\nwill ensure real sovereignty lies fully in the hands of the
\npeople, as enshrined in the 1945 Constitution.<\/p>\n
Not that there is anything wrong with indirect elections,
\nwhich are found in many other democracies, including the United
\nStates. But Indonesia's own experience with entrusting the
\npresidential election to the People's Consultative Assembly has
\nbeen bitter. Sukarno and Soeharto, our first two presidents,
\ncircumvented the system and virtually controlled the Assembly,
\nand thus its decisions, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n
A direct election would hopefully ensure a closer emotional
\nconnection between the people and the elected president. The
\npresident, in turn, would feel, or certainly should feel, that
\nshe or he is accountable to the people, an element that was
\ndefinitely missing during the Sukarno and Soeharto years.<\/p>\n
This direct system also puts the president more or less on
\nequal footing with the legislative bodies, which have been given
\nimmense power following a series of constitutional amendments
\nthese last six years. After the nation's failure to secure
\ncredible leaders through indirect elections, the direct method of
\nelecting our president and vice president is worth experimenting
\nwith.<\/p>\n
Granted, a direct election does not guarantee the leaders
\nIndonesia desperately needs will be elected, any more than an
\nindirect election does. This is true at least for this particular
\nelection, which pits the incumbent President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri against her former security czar, Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono. For many people, this is not much of a choice.<\/p>\n
Hard as they have tried to separate themselves, there is not
\nall that much of a difference between the two candidates. Both
\nwere raised politically during the Soeharto years: Megawati
\nserved in the House of Representatives in the 1980s and 1990s,
\nand Susilo served in various capacities in Soeharto's Army. In
\naddition, Susilo was one of Megawati's lieutenants until earlier
\nthis year.<\/p>\n
While one candidate claims to represent continuity and the
\nother tries to project change, Megawati and Susilo could equally
\nmake either of these claims. But these are the two candidates
\nthat passed through the election system, which is still heavily
\ncontrolled by the political parties. While voters may have the
\nlast say, the major political parties control the nomination
\nprocess. So, today we are stuck with these two candidates, and
\none of them is going to be president for the next five years.<\/p>\n
Even with its shortcomings, however, this is still an election
\nworth participating in, because every single vote matters. In the
\nfirst round of the presidential election in July, in which five
\ncandidates ran, those people who voted for the eventual losers
\nmay have felt that their votes were wasted. Today, with only two
\ncandidates running, no vote will be squandered. A vote for one
\ncandidate can equally be seen as a vote against the other
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
If you dislike both candidates, you can still vote against the
\ncandidate you like the least, or dislike the most. You do not
\nneed to feel responsibility for the eventual winner: you did not
\nvote for her or him, but rather you voted against the other
\ncandidate.<\/p>\n
If for some reason you decide not to vote, which is a right
\nguaranteed by the law, your voice will not matter at all and you
\nwill not make any difference in the eventual outcome.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, it is your decision to vote or not to vote, and to
\nvote for which candidate. In spite of all the public endorsements
\nof the candidates, some with tinges of intimidation, this is a
\nsecret ballot that guarantees that you can, and should, vote
\naccording to your conscience. So vote and be counted.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/vote-and-be-counted-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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