Assuring fair elections

Assuring fair elections

Barring unforeseen obstacles, it now seems that Indonesia is
pretty well on its way toward holding its next general election
as scheduled -- more or less. That, certainly, is cause for
satisfaction, given the widespread fears -- "suspicions" might be
a better word -- of deliberate stalling at certain points by
certain factions during the debates in the House of
Representatives in previous months.

At present two major political draft bills at least -- one on
the general (legislative) election itself and another on the
political party system -- have become law. It remains now for the
national legislature to pass two more laws -- on the election of
the country's president and vice president and on the composition
of the House of Representatives (DPR), the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD).

So, on paper at least, things appear to be going pretty much
as scheduled. In reality, though, the task ahead is still a tough
one, tougher perhaps than the job that has already been done, and
one that needs our fullest attention if the upcoming general and
presidential elections next year are to throw off the maximum
benefit for the growth of democracy in this country.

First, there is the fact to consider that all parties involved
-- the major political parties, the government and the General
Elections Committee (KPU) -- seem agreed that it would be best to
hold the general election in either March or early in April next
year at the latest. The point is that by Oct. 20 next year the
incumbent president and vice president will have ended their
terms in office and must be replaced.

That means that not only must the two remaining draft laws on
the political system be deliberated and passed without delay;
between the government, the legislature and KPU a host of
technical details must be worked out and implemented. A census
must be held and voters registered. Political parties and their
candidates for the various legislative bodies must have their
qualifications verified and listed. Ballots must be printed and
ballot boxes provided. Voting booths must be set up and the
necessary personnel, etcetera, etcetera.

If all that looks like child's play, consider that for that
purpose about 60 different regulations and decrees must be
drafted and implemented -- not so easy a task in a democracy in
the process of learning, as Indonesians well know from recent
experience. And let us not forget that Indonesia is the largest
archipelagic country in the world, comprising, at the latest
count, some 18,000 islands. In all, 16 different steps must be
negotiated, from voter registration to the announcement of the
country's new legislators and president- and vice president-
elect.

Despite it all, Indonesians, and probably also the
international community, have the highest expectations from next
year's general election. For that reason, and even more
importantly for the good of the future of democracy in this
country, no effort should be spared to ensure that the elections
will be truly fair and democratic -- a true "feast of democracy",
in fact, whose quality and credibility is not in doubt.

To ensure that kind of quality and credibility, voter
involvement in the whole process must be assured from beginning
to end. That means, among other things, that voters must be fully
informed about the procedures involved, their rights and
responsibilities, and the candidates they might possibly vote
for.

All that obviously takes money, a commodity that is currently
in short supply in Indonesia. The last general election, in 1999,
may serve as an example. Not only had the government to reach
deep into the state coffers for that event, the international
community also helped, through assistance from the UN Development
Program. No such help will be available this time.

Furthermore, while the 1999 general election involved only a
single stage -- the election of members of the House of
Representatives and the People's Consultative Assembly -- the
upcoming election in 2004 will be held in two stages: The first
to elect the national legislature, and the second to elect the
president and vice president. That, needless to say, means an
inflated budget.

Nevertheless, a limited budget must not prevent us from
assuring that the 2004 elections -- both legislative and
presidential -- will be truly fair and credible. The only way we
can make sure that will happen is by assuring transparency in the
use of the available money. Judging by the state of affairs in
both our bureaucracy and our society, that may not be an easy
task to accomplish.

Yet, the course of democracy and development of civil society
in this country will be determined to a large extent by the
quality and credibility of the upcoming elections. We owe it to
our children and grandchildren to make sure that theirs will be a
better country to live in than it is at present.