Fear of fraud, violence blemishing June polls

Fear of fraud, violence blemishing June polls

JAKARTA (JP): Money politics, violent campaigns and anarchy
will mar the upcoming election scheduled for June 7, it is
feared. The profusion of political parties that will contest the
election is also a headache for prospective voters.

The following are the views of people from different social
backgrounds about the forthcoming election, which is widely
expected to result in a legitimate government able to stem the
tide of political chaos.

Ernas Krisna Mulya, a commissioner of PT Davomas Abadi, a
cocoa company: The next general election scheduled for June 7 is
a very important item on the political agenda for Indonesia.

It will determine the future of democracy in Indonesia.
Businesses will look to the outcome to gauge the feasibility of
investing in Indonesia.

So far businesspeople have just adopted an attitude of wait
and see. This is a very difficult time. They can't expect so much
profit. Many would be grateful if they could just survive the
crisis.

If the general election is democratic and the outcome is
acceptable for the general public, I am sure business will
recover and foreign investors will start coming back in.

But I personally doubt the election will proceed as expected.
Just look at what is happening in this country. Unrest is the
order of the day. Political parties number more than 100 and each
has different targets and principles.

The recording of the conversation between President Habibie
and Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib that was leaked to the press
reveals that the government has been dishonest with the public.

Manase Malo, the chairman of Love the Democratic Nation Party
(Partai Demokrasi Kasih Bangsa):

As Indonesia now has more than 100 parties, I think the old
campaigning practices, such as outdoor gatherings, must be
abandoned because they can trigger unrest. It is better, instead,
to hold dialogs as we did in a hotel on Monday.

The June 7 general election is a milestone for our country's
history. It is a matter of nurturing or crushing our budding
democracy.

Many people, including certain groups of students, are opposed
to the general election because it is organized by Soeharto's
cronies. But in my view, the election is the best chance for
Indonesia to develop democracy and push for reforms. We cannot
change things overnight.

Tight supervision is needed to ensure that the election is as
fair and honest as possible. No dirty practices like money
politics should be tolerated.

The supervisors should not only involve local activists and
organizations, but international organizations as well. We need
the assistance of foreign organizations because we still lack
knowledge and experience of democratic exercises.

Joy Panggabean, 37, an electronic businessman in Jakarta: I
support the National Mandate Party (PAN). Amien Rais, the party's
chairman, may be inconsistent in his stand sometimes but other
leaders are impressive.

The nation will definitely be in safe hands if PAN wins the
election. For instance, it could assign Faisal Basri (PAN
secretary general) as the president's economic advisor.

If Golkar wins the election, it would be surprising given
President Habibie's unsatisfactory performance. President Habibie
is, however, doing well in communicating the government's ideas
to the public.

In the past, one could not see Pak Harto giving an interview
to, for example, CNN correspondent Maria Ressa, or RCTI anchor
Zsa Zsa Yusharyahya.

Habibie was doing fine until the bugging case became known to
the public. The taped conversation between Habibie and Ghalib
blew away my trust in the government.

Susy, 24, who works in an advertising company: I will vote for
PDI Perjuangan chaired by Megawati Soekarnoputri. It's time to
prove that a woman can solve the nation's problems.

Women's roles are usually limited to taking care of the
household, her career, her husband and children. Although
Megawati has not gone on campaigns as often as other party
leaders, I believe she would make the best leader.

I believe no party will win a majority and therefore they will
have to form a coalition. I guess PDI Perjuangan will form one
with the National Awakening Party (PKB). Everybody knows Megawati
has a close relationship with Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, the
founder of PKB.

Ahmad Heryawan, the head of the Jakarta chapter of the Justice
Party, an Islamic grouping: I believe the June 7 election will be
fair and democratic for the good of the nation.

But since the political law favors the bureaucracy, the
quality of the election may not be as good as expected.

I'm afraid certain parties will play money politics in the
election.

I hope the government and the Armed Forces (ABRI) will stay
neutral. Neutrality in this case is very important in ensuring a
fair general election. But so far there has been no sign they
will be neutral.

I think a well-organized supervision system is a must if we
want to see the upcoming general election fair and democratic.
This supervision mechanism should involve all participating
political parties, as well as independent national and
international groups.

We should also be wary of efforts to derail the election
process, particularly during campaigns.

Remember that the main aim of campaigning is to "sell" our
programs so that people know which party to choose. Political
debates among participants should be organized in order to allow
the public to check out their respective programs.

Asnah Subandi, a senior high school teacher in Tangerang:

I'm still confused. So many parties will contest the election.
One hundred and fifty? Oh, my God, that's too many. How can the
government manage them during the campaign so that no violence
happens?

I hope the general election will proceed smoothly and result
in good and clean governance which is better than that of the
Soeharto and Habibie governments.

I can't imagine what will happen if the general election
fails. Will we see total chaos? If this happens, we might see
Indonesia in a Yugoslav-style breakup.

I think we should allow international organizations to be
involved in the supervision of the general election. We need them
because we are not experienced in organizing a general election
in a democratic way.

I haven't yet made up my mind which party I should choose. But
among them, PAN, PDI Perjuangan, PKB, and the United Development
Party (PPP) are my favorites. (bnt/ylt)