Election shows 'democracy is taking root' in Indonesia

Election shows 'democracy is taking root' in Indonesia

The Carter Center is one of the overseas organizations that have sent missions here to monitor the country's successive elections this year. In the Sept. 20 runoff election, the Center deployed 57 observers to monitor the polls. The Jakarta Post's M. Taufiqurrahman spoke with Ambassador Douglas Peterson, who led the delegation in place of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Peterson also served as the first post-war United States ambassador to Vietnam after serving three terms as the representative of Florida's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Question: What is the Center's assessment about the conduct of Monday's election?

Answer: The election was clearly an historic event for Indonesia and its people given the fact that it was the first direct election of a president here. I was very impressed with how peaceful the process was conducted and also was surprised with the professionalism of the people who conducted the work, especially at the polling stations. The staff there were very well prepared and took their responsibilities seriously.

So, the credit should go to election officers?

I think the credit probably goes to the General Elections Commission (KPU), because they prepared very good instructions and they also spent terrific amounts of time and effort to prepare and train the staff throughout the entire country. What is so impressive is that you are dealing with over 580,000 polling stations.

There was no trouble after the poll and voters seem to have displayed a new kind of maturity. Do you think that democracy is already here?

Democracy is taking root, although not complete yet. I think this election demonstrates that the people are committed to the adoption of democratic principles. I don't think all the requirements for democratic reform have been completed, but they certainly have taken a big step forward in a positive way.

How significant is this country's election for the U.S.?

I think that the U.S. will look this election as a very important step for security in Southeast Asia in general. Because this takes away to a large degree the concerns that Indonesia is going to be destabilized due to terrorism or other factors. This election demonstrates that Indonesia wishes to have peaceful and democratic prospects of moving towards greater prosperity.

So, the success of the election bodes well for Indonesia?

The key is to have a peaceful transition of power and that appears to be happening. All the candidates have made very positive statements, asking for unity and asking for the people to adhere to democratic principles.

What will the direct benefits that accrue to the country be after this peaceful exercise in democracy?

The short term is probably harder to predict than the long term, but I would say that the outcome is less important than the process. The peaceful and transparent election will invite foreign investors to look at Indonesia once more. And I think you will see a return to Indonesia of a lot of the foreign investment that took flight in the late '90s.

Prior to Monday's election, our biggest concern was that the bureaucracy would favor one candidate over another. Have you seen any indications of this?

Our initial observations did not reveal favoritism by local officials. There was a low level of intimidation or suggestions as to how people should vote.

Why did the bureaucracy not take sides?

This year you had three elections. I think people recognized more and more as they participated in the elections that they were theirs and it was their individual decisions, and that they could make that decision independent of what organizations they belonged to or who they were employed by. This is the best of democratic values -- individual empowerment.

Why did the recent terror attack against the Australian Embassy not dissuade voters from casting their ballots?

Most of us believed it would not have much impact. It was pretty much looked at as an isolated incident and the authorities have reacted professionally, and I did not see either candidate made it an issue. Therefore, it became a non-issue.

Democracy means an open playing field for everyone. Does this mean it could help radical Islam to gain entry onto the political main stage?

Democracy is like a large tent and everyone has to be invited. What I hope is that the people who are a little more radical than others would come under that tent and use the democratic process to present their views. If they do that in a peaceful way, it will likely serve their particular interests. Indonesians have matured and I don't think they look to violence as an answer. They look to violence now as a problem rather than a solution.

Does the peaceful election here support the view that Islam and democracy can co-exist in harmony?

It is a natural fit. There is no reason to exclude Islam from the democratic process. There should be no restrictions whatsoever based on religion or economic grouping. All have to be able to present their views under a democratic process without which, in some cases, they otherwise would have been excluded and might have had to resort to violence to be heard.

Why does democracy fit Islam in the Indonesian context, because as we have seen in Algeria and Turkey, the two could not co-exist?

I think it is historic in the sense that some groups (in both countries) did not have the opportunity to present their views, and felt excluded from the process. One of the first democratic values after individual empowerment is inclusion, bringing everyone in together to talk about many issues. Democracy is a big town hall meeting where everybody is there and gets an opportunity to speak. That is what Indonesia now values.