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.