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.