Educating the voters

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.