A sham for democracy

Monday's refusal by 27 out of the 53 members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) to endorse the results of last month's polls is deplorable to say the least. Since it is obvious that their decision was motivated more by their failure to secure political representation than a genuine concern at the lack of fairness in the polls, this is nothing but political blackmail.

So much was invested in the June 7 general election, an essential beginning on the long and winding road toward democracy. With a nationwide turnout of more than 90 percent of registered voters, and with the election and the preceding campaign period that proceeded peacefully, the people of this country have shown to themselves, as well as to the rest of the world, that Indonesians are adept at this game universally called democracy.

At stake is no less than the reputation of this nation and its future. It now appears that some KPU members, who were given the honor to organize the polls, are prepared to sabotage this, purely out of self-interest.

While the elections were far from perfect, all local and international monitoring institutions agreed that they were relatively free and fair, and that there was no reason for anyone not to accept the outcome, however bitter it might be for the losing parties and their supporters.

Sadly, some people see things differently. Although they represent a tiny, almost negligible minority of the people, they have, by way of their representation in the KPU, the power to hold the rest of the nation hostage. This is precisely what they did when they refused to endorse the results on Monday.

It is no coincidence that the 27 KPU members represent political parties which fared poorly in the polls. It is no coincidence either that some of these were the ones who, over the past four weeks, insisted that they be given seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) or the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) after failing to secure such representation through the polls.

Seventeen parties, mostly those who secured seats, gave their endorsement, although they too have reservations, given the reports of cheating and rigging in the election process. Since these allegations did not in any way affect the outcome of the elections, there was no reason for the KPU to withhold its endorsement until after they were investigated, which in all likelihood, would involve lengthy court proceedings.

The KPU should have realized its endorsement was already late in coming. For the past month or so since the June 7 polls, we have seen how KPU members bickered and jostled with one another, all the while keeping the entire nation waiting for the results of the elections. The commission has quickly turned into a poorly choreographed comedy of errors after it repeatedly postponed the announcement of the election results. Given the noble task entrusted to it, KPU has become a national embarrassment.

The KPU has now turned to President B.J. Habibie for a ruling, and he is expected to overrule the 27 members and pronounce the results as valid. Not perfect, but this is the best we can hope for given KPU's failure to announce the results.

The nation cannot wait around too long while a bunch of opportunists and sore losers take their time to come to terms with the fact that they lost the fight and all legitimate claims to people's support.

This latest episode in the KPU nevertheless reminds us of the sad fact that many in the Indonesian elite are poor losers who cannot accept defeat. We have already detected such a trait among parties that won DPR seats, but not enough to secure their own ambition for power. This does not bode well for the November presidential election in the MPR General Session. We hope our political leaders have more common sense when the real crunch comes in November, for they represent larger sections of the community than the 27 KPU members who have a case of sour grapes.