Are bloody thumbprints effective?

Are bloody thumbprints effective?

By Aleksius Jemadu

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): A leftist political leader from El
Salvador once said: "When history can no longer be written by
ink, it must be written by blood". Fanatic supporters of Megawati
Soekarnoputri, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), seemed to be saying the same thing
when they gave their bloody thumb prints in a show of support for
her presidential bid.

While it is their political right to support any political
leader they want, the use of blood as "political language" can
have very serious and dangerous political consequences. Can we
stop this "thumb print" phenomenon?

Blood always symbolizes human life. Those who give their
bloody thumb prints want to tell other people that they are ready
to sacrifice their lives in order to achieve their political
goal.

It is important to note, however, that this phenomenon does
not take place in a political vacuum. As a political action, it
coexists with other political actions. Thus, it is constructed in
a certain political context. For instance, as the victory of PDI
Perjuangan in the general election seems inevitable, there is
immediately a systematic effort by Megawati's political opponents
to degenerate the importance of such popularity by using various
deceitful maneuvers.

Things are made complicated by "deadly weapons" being used to
oppose Megawati's presidential nomination. Those who raise the
issue of gender know very well that Megawati cannot (and would
not, I imagine) change her gender for the sake of a presidential
office.

On top of that, her opponents have stated that she will run
the risk of opposing the religion of the majority if she
continues her struggle. They pretend to ignore the fact that most
of Megawati's supporters in the elections are also followers of
this religion.

Resistance to Megawati's presidential nomination from certain
officials within President B.J. Habibie's government is no less
provocative. The use of certain criteria for presidential office,
such as a university degree, a possible delay of the General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and a hasty
discussion of the bill on presidential power, which was allegedly
meant to eliminate Megawati's chances of being elected, just
indicate how those in power attempt to impose their will upon the
people.

It is then no exaggeration to suggest that the phenomenon of
"bloody thumb prints" signifies an unbalanced political battle
between the powerful and the powerless. It is an unbalanced
battle because the former have religious and political power
while the latter have nothing except hope for a better social and
economic situation under the new leadership. Thus, it is not an
entirely new battle. It has already begun, as the grassroots were
for a long time oppressed under the former regime of president
Soeharto. It seems to be an unwritten law that when people demand
justice, the government gives "just ice". The dubious handling of
so many corruption cases by the current government is
particularly annoying to the people.

Those who have nothing to rely on in an existential political
struggle tend to sacrifice everything, including their own lives,
to achieve their goals. The Habibie government, or whoever has
any idea to resist the will of the majority of the people, is
expected to see the message behind their struggle in its context.
The more the incumbent government tries to deny PDI Perjuangan's
victory in the elections and the popularity of its chairwoman,
the more irrational will be the methods used by the people to
make their message heard.

However, Megawati's fanatic supporters need to be told that in
a noble politics the end can never justify the means. At the same
time, Megawati herself should realize that the fanaticism of her
supporters could kill her own political carrier in the future.

What if "president Megawati" failed to fulfill the
expectations of her supporters? Her strong opposition to any form
of authoritarianism is not in itself a guarantee for the quality
of her leadership or effectiveness of governing. Moreover, the
political and economic challenges of the next government are
formidable. Thus, the bloody thumb prints can be a double-edged
sword.

The writer is a lecturer at the Department of International
Relations of the Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung, West
Java.