Elections hold hope and reform

JAKARTA (JP): With the many encouraging changes that have occurred since the demise of the New Order regime, one foreign observer expects this year's general election to generate reform in Indonesian politics.

Eric Bjornlund, a senior associate and director of the Asian office of the Washington-based National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), said here on Thursday that the legal framework for the country's political institutions has seen substantial reform.

"New, independent election authorities have been established. And for the first time, Indonesian elections will take place under the watch of independent, nonpartisan domestic and international election observers," he told The Jakarta Post.

The international community's interest in these transitional elections is shown by the presence of observers from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among other countries.

Apart from NDI, international organizations sending delegations include the Asian Network for Free and Fair Elections (Anfrel), the National Citizens Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) from the Philippines, the Carter Center and the Solidarity Center, both from the U.S., and the Australia Council for Overseas Aid.

Bjornlund said the fact that most government controls on the organization of political parties and press restrictions were lifted last year indicated the elections would be more democratic and fair.

However, he urged the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslak) to perform well, fairly and accurately.

"After years of autocratic rule and 'crony capitalism', it is these institutions and practices that reflect the hopes and aspirations of the Indonesian people," he said.

"It's clear that the June 1999 elections in Indonesia will not be perfect. The people of Indonesia will judge whether, despite the imperfections, they have been able to express their choices freely and whether these choices are then reflected in the composition of their representatives and the development of their political institutions."

Flaws

Bjornlund noted the existing flaws in the electoral laws, which he said could trigger people's dissatisfaction.

"The new laws governing the elections, political parties and the structure of the legislatures passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) in January, often establish only basic principles and leave the details to be determined by the election commission or other bodies," he said.

However, he said, since the election commission was formed in early March it has moved slowly to fill these gaps.

"There is apprehension that the new system continues to unfairly benefit the current regime," he said.

He said some serious gaps were found in the election regulations and associated documents. He mentioned flaws in the electoral system, the election of functional representatives to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and the complaints and appeals institutions.

"The retention of seats reserved for the military and the restricted constituencies that will select the MPR's 65 functional group representatives are the most conspicuous shortcomings in the political institutions," he said, adding that the composition of the MPR would, therefore, not necessarily reflect the election results.

Concerning the ongoing election campaign, he said there has been little debate on solutions to the economic and social crisis the country is facing.

"Much of the campaign appears to revolve around open public rallies and parades of decorated trucks, cars and motorcycles," he said. "This style of campaigning, intended to demonstrate mass support, brings with it many complaints of intimidation, harassment and infringement of the law."

Eric, however, said it would be impossible for NDI to monitor all of the election activities because it would place only 100 observers across Indonesia, although not in East Timor.

He said NDI would cooperate with a number of Indonesian non- governmental organizations, university-based networks and other civil society groups in monitoring the election process, including the balloting and the vote-counting. (imn)