Clashes in campaigns

Emotions are high and tempers short among many participants in the election campaign now underway. Campaign activities have claimed many lives so far, either in traffic accidents or in clashes between political rivals.

While political groups still have another week to send their supporters to the streets -- letting their supporters do the campaigning for them -- it isn't too late to evaluate the situation and find ways to prevent more victims.

Campaign rallies, which were initially meant to be politically educational, have become a show of force between political contestants. For the two smaller political parties, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), the campaign has been a medium to show that even though they have had very little representation in the legislative body, they are quite influential on the outside.

There have been five elections since 1971 and we have been very successful in efforts to develop the economy. But social justice and political development still lag behind. The people, who are more outspoken now, have been frustrated by progress.

There is no equal treatment for all political contestants yet. After so many elections, voters still ask who their representatives are, in regencies as well as the central government.

Meanwhile, the government has not been able to get rid of the ugly reality of social and political gaps. Socially, corrupt officials still flaunt their wealth. Politically, parties are not allowed to open branch offices below the regency level while Golkar, the government-sponsored group, is already ubiquitous at local levels.

Latest trends also show that legislative and judicial bodies have been increasingly nonresistant to the powerful influence of the executive branch. Many people seem to believe that the campaign is the best means of channeling their frustrations.

People tend to support a party they believe has been a perpetual victim of the system, and want to see it have a bigger say in governing the country. They find no other alternative because unlike general elections held in other countries, no one is allowed to censure the government, much less change it.

The authorities' repeated slogan says that "the general election should only be won by the New Order," which means none other than Golkar. This sounds like the door closing on any significant change, while the world around us keeps on changing. There are more and more developing countries, which are more developed than ours, who can afford democracy.

This condition has boosted people's sensitivity. The riots which have taken place in several Javanese towns since last year, have shown that people are now more militant. Current campaigning has shown how easily some are offended and dare face security forces when they believe that their political groups haven't been treated equally.

The government, from the beginning, has banned political street rallies and has instead implemented political dialog, but this has turned out to be unpopular. Authorities haven't been able to prevent people, from a grassroots level, from taking to the streets, because of their large number and unpredictable spontaneity. Now, they can only handle the rallies and incidents they produce with care.

In the long run, significant changes in political laws will be quite necessary.