Indonesia yet to have democratic culture

By Cornelis Lay

The following article is based on a paper presented at a conference on Europe, East Timor and Indonesia in Bogor on May 2, 2000. This is the first of two articles.

BOGOR: After the fall of Soeharto, most Indonesians agreed that general elections were the only way to restore trust and political legitimacy.

Political liberalization such as the release of most political prisoners, toleration of opposition, less press censorship undertaken by Habibie's administration, though important toward democratization, was not a guarantee of it.

Although political liberalization was seen as a prerequisite for democracy then, there was a need for both structural and constitutional changes for the country to transform itself into a democracy.

Despite a growing fear of chaos prior to the election, Indonesia was successful in managing a free and fair election process.

Political commentators had warned the government and party elites about the need to avoid conflict among contending party supporters as the political climate heated up.

There was also a fear that a free and fair election would be jeopardized by money politics. Political elites and analysts accused the pro-status-quo and Habibie's camps of bribery to achieve their goals. But the election was relatively peaceful, free and fair.

Reports from various international organizations as well as data stemming from all over the country supported this conclusion.

There were, of course, a number of violations of the rules of the game, including those of money politics.

There were also a number of physical conflicts involving party supporters in some regions but most people agree that it was conducted in a truly democratic manner.

There was no serious dispute over the results of the election. Except a few small parties, all major political parties accepted the results.

Now that the general election is over, the new government is established. The first step to the completion of a democratic transition is complete.

But whether or not Indonesia will be able to complete its transitional period successfully is still in question.

As in the case of political liberalization, a free and fair election is another prerequisite for the completion of a democratic transition. There are a number of challenges that have to be answered before real democratic life takes place. The recent political development in the country suggests that it is still facing an uphill battle.

Challenges to democratic transition loomed when not a single political party won majority of the votes in the 1999 election. Despite its 34 percent sweet of the seats, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjaungan) still failed to elect Megawati Soekarnoputri as president.

It was Gus Dur, founder of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who finally won the presidential race through a formal democratic process. However, political debate and political maneuvering prior to the plenary session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) clearly demonstrated the lack of a democratic tradition or culture in Indonesian politics.

It is a rule in democracies to allow the winning party to form a (new) government.

But in the case of Indonesia, most of the parties, with the exception of PDI Perjuangan, used the article in the 1945 Constitution to avoid it.

Lack of a democratic culture is not only taking place in the MPR. It is also a phenomenon within the society as proven by the widespread public and institutionalized violence in social and political conflicts.

For those who believe that a democratic culture is the principle governing political behavior and keeping it, essentially, democratic, especially in a society where organized institutions and ethics have all but disintegrated, the lack of such a culture in Indonesia is not a promising sign.

Democracy can only be developed and sustained when it is supported by a democratic culture. This is the core problem for Indonesia.

It has democratic institutions ranging from political parties right up to the legislature, but it suffers from the lack of possessing a democratic culture. And unless one develops, Indonesia will fall into a kind of trap, of being "a bad guy democracy"

Apart from it, the results of the general election also forced Gus Dur to delay the forming of his cabinet. The results of this are quite unique.

On the one hand, Gus Dur has a wide range of legitimacy since he's been supported by major political groups. But on the other hand, he has no solid legitimacy, since he has to depend on support from a very diverse and fragmented political base.

This kind of a cabinet is very tenuous in nature, as we are seeing now. It is subject to political pressures, and even political hostages.

Cornelis Lay Ph.D is a senior lecturer at the School of Social and Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University and executive director of the Center for Local Politics and Development Studies, Yogyakarta.