Educating the voters

The general election and the country's first direct presidential election are only three months and six months away, respectively. It will be the second democratic vote, after the 1999 elections, since the fall of Soeharto in 1998. After the last election, Indonesians proved to the world that their predominantly Muslim nation was mature enough to live with democracy, although they lacked enough experience of its values.

This year, hopefully, the nation will again be able to demonstrate its maturity, because for the first time, voters have the final say on who their president for the next five years will be. It is natural to hope that the quality of this year's vote will be considerably better than that of the previous elections'. In 1999, the euphoria of freedom marked the elections.

Now, an atmosphere of anticipation is already apparent across the country, represented by the cheerful display of symbols and the flags of the 24 contestants of the legislative election on the streets. And, promoting their parties' attributes, supporters -- often reportedly spurred on by a little pocket money for their services -- hold street rallies.

These activities are actually against the general election law, and hence the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) has repeatedly threatened to take stern action against violators. Although it is agreed that violations should not be tolerated, we must also realize that such premature campaigns play an important role in reducing tension among contestants. A strict blockage, without providing the legally sanctioned leeway to accommodate such enthusiasm, could backfire.

On the other hand, it is very disappointing to see the scenes described above on the streets. They give little indication that the election this coming April will offer better quality, in terms of the parties' platforms, and also, in terms of political education for the voters.

As was the case in the previous elections, we fear that the campaign period in March will become a hurly-burly affair, when people attend rallies only to see their favorite dangdut singers. After all, if the election contestants are more concerned about attracting huge numbers of people to their rallies, rather than educating voters in their responsibility to exercise their constitutional rights -- primarily by electing legislative candidates on the basis of their parties' programs -- how can we expect a better election?

At present, the substance of a party's platform is often not clearly presented to the public. It would be so much easier for the public to determine a party's actions over the next five years -- in terms of economic policy, politics, social welfare and other programs -- if a party's platform was widely accessible.

Of course, there is no doubt that all the political parties have prepared their platforms, including their plan of action for the period from 2004, up until at least 2009. The National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), for instance, have included this information in their websites, although these explanations are too general.

For the presidential election, there is also the strong impression that even presidential hopefuls are busier attacking the incumbent President, Megawati Soekarnoputri, for her shortcomings, rather than presenting their own visions for the future of the country.

We therefore urge all political parties and their legislative candidates, to prioritize the presentation of their platforms to the public, to enable the public to make their own judgments.

It is an outdated practice, for parties to busy themselves by attacking the incumbent government without offering alternative choices. People are expected to vote for a party because they believe in the party's plan of action. The platform also serves as a kind of public accountability statement, because voters will demand that parties deliver on their promises.

The time has come to prioritize holding public discussions, debates and exchanges of view, not just among the political parties themselves, but also between the parties and the voters. Such debates and discussions would be more productive than the massive campaign parades which we are familiar with. They would enable voters to make up their own minds, by empowering them with knowledge. Thus, people would vote for a certain party because they agreed with its platform, not because the party offered them an entertaining rally, or what are later revealed as empty promises.

Hopefully, those voting in the upcoming general election will not just display peaceful and democratic values, but also responsibility. The elected legislators, and the elected President, should not be given a blank cheque, but a real mandate that demands accountability.