E. Java polls show new level of political maturity

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.