Golkar's win a consent for change?

Golkar's win a consent for change?

By Aleksius Jemadu

JAKARTA (JP): Compared to the results of previous elections,
Golkar's recent victory is particularly meaningful. It has gained
people's consent for political power at a time when the nation is
desperately seeking more openness and political accountability in
the political system. But is Golkar ready and willing to fulfill
such a demand?

Golkar's political might and landslide victory clearly shows
people's acceptance of the present political and economic
situation. But, if this is the case, why has there been riots
throughout the country? Why is the political system in danger
just because of nonsensical rumors?

We cannot deny that people's political awareness has increased
as a result of better education and higher living standards. At
the same time, the political system seems rigid to accommodate
new demands and rising expectations of the people. Economic
progress and political stagnation could produce seeds for protest
and violent acts which could destabilize the system. Therefore,
it is rather naive to assume that basic changes within the
political system are no longer needed just because the dominant
party won the election.

The fact that Golkar gained the majority of votes in the
election might imply that the Indonesian people need a strong and
experienced political group such as Golkar to pioneer change and
democratization of the political system. Thus, Golkar's victory
should be considered a mandate for managing political change and
not for the perpetuation of the undemocratic status quo.

Without underestimating the capability of the other two
parties, PPP and PDI, it has been suggested that weak leadership
and endless internal rivalries have deprived them of the
opportunity to lead political reforms in the legislative bodies.
But we should welcome the increasing power base of PPP, which
could countervail the dominant party in the governing process.

Indonesian people ought to know that the democratic movement
is a global phenomenon. Respect for political rights and public
accountability of political power have been accepted as universal
values. There are ample instances in which authoritarian
political systems have been under increasing pressure to give
more opportunities to democratic forces. Since the end of the
Cold War, there has been a complicated combination of a rapid
integration of a global economy and an inevitable
internationalization of democratic ideals.

Through the election, the people have again put their trust in
Golkar. Now it is up to Golkar to translate such trust into
commitment to build a more democratic political system. People
are desperately seeking more openness and political
accountability. Golkar's landslide victory should produce new
orientation in the policy-making process, in line with the
aspirations of the majority of Indonesian people and less of the
privileged few. If not, its victory would be just another sad
story for all.

The writer is the Director of the Parahyangan Center for
International Studies (PACIS) at the Catholic University of
Parahyangan, Bandung.