A lackluster fiesta

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