Indonesia yet to have democratic culture

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.