How does Golkar maintain election victory in Aceh?

By Imanuddin

BANDA ACEH, Aceh (JP): Golkar's victory in this election is its sixth nationwide and its third in this predominately-Moslem province that was once a United Development Party (PPP) stronghold.

By Saturday, Golkar had won 64.3 percent of the 2.05 million votes counted for the provincial legislature. The PPP trailed with 32.3 percent and the split Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) had to be content with only 3.4 percent.

In the 1992 election, Golkar won 58.4 percent of the 1.82 million votes counted, PPP had 34.5 percent and PDI 7 percent.

Golkar had its first taste of victory in Aceh in 1987 with 51.9 percent of the 1.3 million of votes counted, PPP came second with 42.9 percent and PDI third with 3.9 percent.

The people of Aceh, resource rich and subject to an ongoing separatist struggle, have a strong Islamic culture so they had been expected to support the PPP.

How did Golkar get its first break in Aceh, where PPP won 60 percent of the vote in 1982 compared to Golkar's 37 percent and 57.2 percent in 1977 when Golkar had 41 percent? In the 1971 election, the PPP already posed a strong challenge to Golkar by winning 48.9 percent of the vote compared to Golkar's 49.7 percent.

Some analysts attributed Golkar's victory in 1987 partly to the success of then governor Ibrahim Hasan, now state minister of food, in convincing local Moslem leaders that Golkar was Islamic and that it would be able to help Aceh develop. But others believed that locals only half-heartedly accepted Golkar.

Local analyst Ahmad Humam Hamid said Golkar's gains resulted from the tireless work of local bureaucrats.

"All regents, the governor and prominent Acehnese living in Jakarta, including incumbent State Minister for Food Ibrahim Hasan and former cabinet minister Bustanil Arifin, have played a significant role in boosting Golkar's results here," he said.

Another analyst, Teuku Djohan, said Golkar had won because campaigners had successfully sold its programs to the people.

Ahmad, a former chairman of the Aceh chapter of the politically-well-connected National Youth Committee, said that Golkar's victory in 1987 was ushered in by Ibrahim Hasan, who became provincial governor in 1986. Golkar's domination continued during Ibrahim's second term of office in 1992.

"The current governor, Syamsuddin Mahmud, cultivated Golkar's supremacy in the area further," said Ahmad, also deputy dean of the Syiah Kuala University's School of Agriculture.

But he said people did not vote for Golkar because of its claims to promote Islamic values, but because it did not have religious affiliations.

"Golkar is thus more acceptable to all elements of the community," he said.

Rigging

Ahmad conceded that Golkar might have won this election because of vote-rigging.

"We all understand that vote-rigging can be found throughout the country, but I have not yet seen reports of poll manipulation here," he said.

Ahmad said Golkar had one because of a spill-over of votes from PDI supporters disenfranchised by the party's infighting.

But Abdul Rahman Rasyidi, also chairman of the PPP Aceh chapter, said the extensive electioneering by local bureaucrats was behind Golkar's victory.

He said the PPP was defeated because "some people" had interfered in some stages of the election. He did not elaborate, but said later that some PPP executives had been intimidated during campaigning.

He said he had evidence that PPP members and functionaries had been "mentally and physically intimidated by unauthorized people".

"Many PPP members or functionaries had fled the province for the neighboring province of North Sumatra... to avoid the intimidation," he said.

He cited a PPP official in Pidie regency, who had left for Medan, North Sumatra, and a party official in East Aceh who had escaped to Banda Aceh because of intimidation.

"Many people were forced to vote for Golkar," he said.

He said he had reported the intimidation to Maj. Gen. Sedaryanto, chief of the Bukit Barisan Regional Military Command, who oversees the provinces of Aceh, North and West Sumatra and Riau. He also lodged complaints with the Aceh Election Supervision Committee's chief, Lukharni.

"But the intimidation continued," he said.

Golkar Aceh chapter chairman Teuku Djohan said the PPP should not have blamed other parties for its defeat.

"People can now tell which political parties can voice their aspirations," he said. "They can tell gold from brass, even though the colors are similar."

He regretted the PPP accusations of vote-rigging. "That was an immature maneuver. The PPP should accept defeat gracefully."

He cited the PPP's victory in his hometown of Taneuh Abee in Selimeum subdistrict, Aceh Besar regency.

"I did my best to persuade the people there to vote for Golkar, but the villagers still believed that PPP was their best choice," he said. "I have never blamed Golkar's defeat in my own village on anyone."