E. Java polls show new level of political maturity

Harry Bhaskara, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

The loudspeaker in the office, half the size of a village classroom, was blaring; while graphics, projected on the wall, showed the preliminary results of ballot counting.

It was June 27, only an hour after polling stations had closed in 31 districts of the East Java capital. Thus, for the first time in history, the mayor of Surabaya had been directly elected by the people.

In the room were election officials, government officials, academics, policemen and reporters. Now and then, one of them would step forward, nonchalantly. As afternoon became evening, they belted out every tune from Love is a Many Splendored Thing to the Indonesian song,Kemesraan.

After the sun had set, the overhead projector was moved out of the election committee's office and set up in the open-air. That way, the public could see for themselves how their candidates were faring. Most Surabaya residents had a relaxed approach toward the election and many used it as an excuse to party.

Was that attitude responsible for the fact that almost half of the 1.9 million eligible voters did not exercise their right to vote? A figure not unlike those recorded in advanced democracies.

Was it because voting day was a Monday? pundits asked. Had people simply ignored the election in favor of a long weekend? Others said the people were indifferent because no matter who became mayor, there would be no changes: corruption would continue; bureaucrats' performance would be so-so, the gap between the rich and the poor would get wider, garbage dumps would be just as hazardous, public transportation would be inefficient like usual, street vendors would be a pest, and their homes would be flooded every wet season.

At any rate, it was concluded the low turnout had benefited the incumbent, Bambang Dwi Hartono, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) who garnered 51.3 percent of the vote.

Bambang and his running mate Arif Afandi will become mayor and deputy mayor respectively for five years beginning next month.

Deeper analysis reveals other facets of the election. Not a single party out of the six political parties contesting the election insisted on a candidate who was a native Surabayan, which was imperative in many other parts of the country.

Aside from inside the party, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB) recruited candidates who were professionals, academics, businesspeople and government officials. The Democratic Party (PD), which allied with the National Mandate Party (PAN), chose a businessman to run for mayor -- a unmistakably unconventional move. For their deputy, the two parties opted for a PAN leader who was formerly a popular PDIP leader.

Though dirty politics was reported in the early weeks of the electoral process -- politicians allegedly dabbling in black magic and vote buying -- politicians showed some encouraging developments in behavior.

The election itself was peaceful; a condition that was experienced on voting day for regent in three other locations in East Java: Lamongan, Kediri and Gresik. By year end, elections will be held in some 200 regions of the country in total.

Most winners of the election in these four places are the incumbents. A glance back over the electoral process reveals non- incumbents had too little time to introduce themselves to the public. They were also denied the "privilege" of exploiting the bureaucracy for their own advantage. In the absence of superb public relations campaigners, apathetic voters will almost certainly vote for a recognizable figure. Moreover, any candidate with a chance at success needed a billion of rupiah at the outset.

In terms of vote buying, these elections were not a far cry from past practices. The difference was where the money went.

In the past it was channeled through local legislators to their political parties, since local heads of government were elected either by the provincial or regental legislatures. Today the money goes directly to the political parties.

Despite its drawbacks, what happened in East Java in the past week is still something to be embraced. Although, public debate was absent, people are starting to learn there is nothing wrong with differences of opinion. People are also getting used to the voting process.

Creativity crept in with some polling stations devising novel ways to encourage voters, such as free bowls of soup. At another, poll officials decked out in soccer gear rewarded voters with a bag of peanuts if they could score a goal -- by kicking it between two posts -- after casting their vote.

East Javans have shown that democracy is not something they are incompatible with. They are ready for it and have proven some pundits wrong. The oft-repeated claim, particularly during the New Order period, was the people were not ready for democracy.

East Java people have particular characteristics: they are straightforward and tend to be rational, critical and more argumentative than the other people of Java. Yet, as soon as the winner was announced, the losers promptly congratulated Bambang Dwi Hartono -- something that former president Megawati Soekarnoputri failed to do when she was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in last October's presidential election.

In the months to come, civil society groups have to work harder to empower the people. The winds of democracy will likely blow from the east on Java island.