'Democracy' vs democracy

'Democracy' vs democracy

There was never any question that Megawati Soekarnoputri would
be reelected chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) this weekend. Before PDI Perjuangan
held its congress in Semarang last week, Megawati commanded such
immense support from the party's rank-and-file. But while her
election was only a formality, somehow it has left a bitter
aftertaste, and also some disturbing thoughts.

The process by which Megawati was elected has raised serious
questions about PDI Perjuangan's commitment to democracy. Her
election by acclamation, rather than ballot, immediately reminded
us of past political practices which did not tolerate dissent.
When Megawati was reelected on Saturday, it gave the nation a
creepy political deja vu. This was also the method that saw the
election, time and again, of Soeharto as Indonesia's president.
Soeharto was the lone candidate in all seven times he was elected
between 1968 and 1998. It was a system that allowed no other
candidate.

Election by acclamation was the system widely used by
political organizations and institutions of the time. Elections
were mere formality. Political parties and organizations that
were run in an authoritarian manner went through this charade to
fool and deceive that they practiced democracy. They fooled no
one but themselves. Theirs was "Democracy" with a capital "D",
democratic in formality, but hardly in substance.

It is sad, therefore, to find that election by acclamation is
still practiced today by one of the political parties that
supposedly leads the reform movement. Why die-hard supporters of
Megawati resorted to intimidation to prevent Eros Djarot and
Dimyati Hartono from running against her was mindboggling. It is
also incomprehensible why the congress ignored demands for a
vote, given that there was no way she would have lost. What
purpose did bulldozing the election serve? It simply defies logic
because the party's democratic credentials have now been
destroyed by itself.

Megawati's election also betrayed promises made by some party
leaders beforehand that the congress was an opportunity for PDI
Perjuangan to turn itself into a modern party. As the largest
political party emerging from the reformation movement, the
nation has naturally placed a lot of expectations on it.

Given its size, PDI Perjuangan should play the catalyst in
transforming the traditional and feudalistic political cultures
in our society into one that is modern and democratic. The fact
that some party leaders had talked about modernizing PDI
Perjuangan showed some awareness at the top. But somehow, this
attitude was not reflected in the congress, and PDI Perjuangan
remains essentially a traditional party with some feudalistic
traits. While this could be a reflection of our society more than
of the party, it now looks like the concept of a modern party
will be sent back to the drawing board.

Given that PDI Perjuangan is the nation's largest party, and
Megawati is a leading contender for the 2004 presidential
election, how the party manages its affairs must therefore have
strong consequences for the nation. Consequently, the methods of
the congress have created disturbing thoughts about the prospect
of PDI Perjuangan gaining control of the government, a strong
possibility after 2004.

If the congress is a true reflection of the party's ways and
means, then a return to an authoritarian system could be in
Indonesia's future.