Grassroots excel in democracy

Today is the first of a three-day of cooling-off period prior to Monday's legislative election. Jakartans and residents of other big cities across the country may heave a sigh of relieve. Gone is the noisy traffic congestion caused by carnivals of motorized party supporters. Gone is the scene of party supporters on motorbikes, wearing green, red, yellow, white or other party color on their T-shirts carrying party flags running the traffic lights.

A feeling of relieve may also felt by many Indonesians throughout the archipelago. Except a few minor incidents, the campaign has been carried out relatively peacefully.

The number of casualties is very low in the 22-day campaign period. The much feared riots or clashes between party supporters that usually accompany political campaigning did not materialize. Only around ten people died so far, mostly caused by accidents, compared to 237 in 1997 elections and 174 in 1999 elections. Most of the victims in the last two instances died of clashes with other party supporters.

What makes the changes? Optimists say that party supporters are learning that it is right to be different. The traditional attitude of perceiving supporters from other parties as enemies may have started to erode. But to conclude that today's party supporters are more ready to accept differences is perhaps too hasty. Nevertheless, the lower rate of victims is an encouraging sign.

Pessimists say that the tradition of attendance payments are more wide spread today. The number of so-called professional supporters, those who join the campaign in support of any party for money, is on the increase. Surely they have no emotional ties with the parties they are campaigning for. Hence, the absence of the needs to be hostile to supporters of other parties who might also be "paid supporters". It is difficult to gauge now which one of the two opinions, the optimist or the pessimist, is closer to truth.

Kudos should go to the supporters, first of all, since they are the ones who rub their shoulders with other supporters. Encouragement from party leadership may or may have not influenced their constituents in a positive way. Compare this with clashes among the elite, notably between President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or internal leadership rifts in major parties like Golkar and the Nation Awakening Party (PKB).

Credit is also due to the police force who have the courage to punish violators, especially traffic violation cases committed by party supporters. It is a far cry from the 1999 elections when policemen seemed to be powerless in front of violators. At that time the image of the military, including the police which were only detached from the military in 2000, was at its lowest ebb.

How wonderful it would be if party supporters taking part in street campaign will one day abide by traffic rulings, thereby allowing other road users to exercise their rights.

So far so good as far as the elections is concern. But it is still a long way to go. This is just the first stage of the election. There will be a presidential election on July 5 and possible run-off elections on Sept. 20. It is our hope that the follow-up elections will also be as peaceful.

There are other reasons why this year's campaigning is encouraging. Past diversions seem to be on decline. Religious hypes, xenophobism, primordialism, regionalism in political rhetorics seemed to be on the wane.

Islam, a popular topic in the past, is almost a non-issue today, especially in urban areas. The erstwhile statements touching on Islam were largely confined in street banners. Moreover, not a single party seems to purposely pick up religious theme. Anti-foreign rhetorics were also absence. The same with issues related to ethnicity and regionality.

Certainly there are still a lot of weaknesses. The logistics issue, for example, has been controversial from the start. But didn't we have an independent General Elections Commissions (KPU) for the first time now? Being a new independent institution KPU of course have its weaknesses. But it certainly is much better with the 1999 KPU which had elements from political parties. Often they fought over menial matters like salaries, cars and others. Today's KPU has yet to become a good team player with regional commissions (KPUD) and the bureaucracy.

Democracy takes a long time to grow. This is just the beginning. Indonesia has just come out of a repressive regime six years ago. What we have now is an immature democracy, especially among the elite, but a step forward, however small, is encouraging at the very least.