A lackluster fiesta

The first few days of campaigning in the general election passed in an atmosphere distinctly different from those of previous elections. This is because the present campaign is following the "campaigning through dialog" model. This shift has been described by the government, the General Election Committee and also by a certain contestant in the election as a positive political development.

It appears that a critical note is in order here. For a number of reasons the lackluster nature of the campaigns may be seen as a worrying phenomenon. First, the shift from monologue to dialog may be real only on the theoretical level. In actual practice, the restrictions that are being imposed on the parties' campaigns represent merely restrictions on the mass assembling of people, while the climate of dialogue is lacking.

Second, these restrictions have the effect of eliminating one important psycho-political function of our general elections -- that is, to provide a receptacle for and to articulate the existing accumulation of social, political and economic discontent in the lower strata of society. Third, although an air of coolness exists at the popular level, it is difficult to ignore the impression that a heated mood exists at the top.

Assuming that this is true, one could say that an elitist environment has emerged. The general election, which should be a fiesta of the people, has become a fiesta with a limited number of merry-makers.

-- Republika, Jakarta