From `pilkades'to presidential elections

From `pilkades'to presidential elections

Kornelius Purba, Staff Writer, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta,
korpur@yahoo.com

Attention please, any Indonesian who thinks no one other than
himself or herself could defeat the incumbent President Megawati
Soekarnoputri in July's direct presidential election. They should
humble themselves and learn the real meaning of democracy from
the most authentic direct election of leaders in this country. It
is not only much cheaper but also much more effective, than
seeking answers from other countries.

They would benefit from contesting the elections for village
chief (pilkades) in Java as a warm up before contesting in their
dream polls. Their success or failure in the election for the
post of village chief would be a sterling experience before
announcing their readiness to "knock out" Megawati or other
rivals in next year's direct presidential election.

As Indonesia will have its first presidential election in
July, some friends have asked what countries could provide a
model for our candidates to learn from. Some say they should hire
U.S. consultants experienced in organizing the U.S. presidential
election, others suggest consultants from the Philippines or
South Korea, because the two countries have long practiced the
direct presidential election system.

But thousands of people throughout the country, especially in
Java, could be their mentors. Many of the mentors have been able
to realize their political ambition while others became bankrupt
following their failure.

Presidential hopefuls like Amien Rais, Gen. (ret.) Wiranto,
Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto or business tycoon Aburizal
Bakrie and media businessman Surya Paloh could observe the direct
election of village chiefs in many places in Java. Or if they are
too busy they could just go to nearby Bekasi or Tangerang, which
also have direct elections at the village level.

In a certain sense the election of the president and vice
president is actually not unlike the election of the village
chief, especially in the preparation of abundant funds and other
resources.

Ajar Aedi, a columnist in the English-language magazine
Latitudes, pointed out that village chief hopefuls must have
abundant bandha (wealth), because vote buying is the most
effective way to lure voters.

They must hold an open house for about one month before D day,
providing food, cigarettes and cakes. To win the minds and hearts
of the people it is not enough to only announce a development
program. Candidates often have to borrow money to increase their
capital. Inviting dangdut singers is also expected by voters.
Without so much money it would be impossible for the presidential
hopefuls to tour the country to address their political party forums.

Apart from wealth the second requirement is bandhu,
interpreted here as family tree. Candidates whose father,
grandfather or great-grandfather was a former village chief will
have a better chance in the election because in many cases the
position is inherited, as in kingdoms. At the national level,
Megawati is in the best position, followed by Yogyakarta
Governor, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, whose father was the country's
second vice president.

The third factor is the role of bandhit (bandit). These people
act as a political machine to convince villagers to vote for
their boss. They bribe villagers with money or rice, and in many
cases, where necessary, they use intimidation and violence. Does
this sound similar to election contestants at the national level?

But do not overestimate the power of money politics. Quite
often the most generous candidate in the village becomes the
biggest loser. Villagers are quite smart, they accept the money
offered to them, they eat the food provided, but it does not mean
they will also vote for the provider. They know how to exploit
the candidates, who also hope that when they win they can rule
the village for a term of at least eight years.

Voters at the village level number only a few thousand while
the number of voters at the national level is estimated at about
125 million. But numbers do not mean much here, because practices
in the village will not likely be very different from the
presidential election. The mentality or behavior of voters and
candidates at these two elections may not be very different
either.

An additional advice is a warning about bandot (billy goat or
dirty old man). Victors in village elections often perform badly
and even fall into disgrace because with their new power they can
easily become womanizers. The presidential hopefuls or candidates
-- except of course for Megawati -- are also not spared this
small tip.