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)