Indonesian politics a far cry from democracy

By Desi Anwar

JAKARTA (JP): In Indonesia, problems are rarely solved. They simply get more complicated as the day goes by. For instance, Indonesians were lulled into believing that the country's ills could be overcome if they can carry out a free and fair election.

And for a brief moment in June, the people did think that springtime had finally come to the country. The hopes that were raised from having tasted the sweetness of democracy, however, quickly soured as it became clear that the fruit of democracy remains far from their grasp.

This is mainly due to the fact that while the people are quick to pick up the lessons of democracy, their government representatives are a lot less adaptable. This is made more frustrating as it becomes clear that the political system of the country is proving to be far from democratic. A fact that is creating tension not only in the general public but also among the political elite itself as it tries to juggle public demands with party interests within a framework of a peculiar and haphazardly assembled constitution.

For instance, the people were told to take part in the general election because, they were told, their votes would determine the future of the country. This they did quite enthusiastically, having been deprived of anything resembling a democratic election for so long.

And although the procedure was anything but straightforward, with a myriad of obscure party symbols to choose from, most of the voters had shown themselves enlightened enough to vote with their conscience rather than out of fear or obligation. The next logical step would be to wait for the results with the reasonable assumption that the winning party would form a new government and choose the president while the losers would retire to the shadows and gather forces to fight another day.

Seeing that Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) looks like a sure winner in the elections, garnering over 35 percent of the votes compared to former state party Golkar with only around 20 percent, it would be safe to assume that her party would be given the first opportunity to put a new government together, while she herself would get the presidential seat.

However, as Indonesian politics is neither logical nor reasonable (as a matter of fact, it can best be described as confusing), the likely chance is that elections results will not have much to do with who gets to occupy the top position.

First, what the voters voted for in the last election was for their chosen party and not for their legislative representatives. These so-called legislative candidates are selected by the party itself, the majority of whom are alien to their constituents. The number of votes each contesting party gains would determine the number of seats it will have in the legislature and hence the number of legislative candidates the party can place. Again, in this case, Megawati's PDI Perjuangan is sure to have the lion's share of the 462 seats of the House of Representatives.

However, these representatives do not have the right to choose the president. This is the prerogative of the 700 members of the People's Consultative Assembly, consisting of the 462 party representatives plus a bunch of nonelected representatives from the regions, various nonparty groups and members of the Indonesian Military, all of which represent nobody except themselves and their immediate circle of interests. And it could well be that they have a completely different idea of which person they think will best lead the country.

Thus, Indonesians, as well as the rest of the world, should not be surprised if they end up with someone other than their chosen leader for president. As a matter of fact, with every delay there is in the vote counting process, the less chance there is for Megawati to get the presidential seat as the democratic process is quickly usurped by Machiavellian political intrigues and maneuverings.

On top of this, nonpolitical and nondemocratic factors are rearing their heads in places they shouldn't be, confirming a fact that most Indonesians have been suspicious of for a long time, namely that politics is a game that only a few can take part in. The most risible is the far-fetched argument by some political parties, couched in religious exhortations, that women by nature are not allowed to become leaders because it would be against the Islamic religion, a faith that most Indonesians embrace. Never mind that most Indonesians do not agree with this view and have expressed their own preference by not voting for religion-based parties. However, this kind of quasi-moral and religious statement could have a significant emotional impact of lessening support for Megawati where it counts, that is, in the People's Consultative Assembly, as well as influencing the less tolerant Muslim groups to become more vocal in their push for a devout and male Muslim leader, neither of which Megawati represents.

Other nonissues that are hampering the democratic process (not to mention the intricate vote-counting process) include the attitude of many of the smaller parties that did not get anywhere near the 2 percent of votes needed in order to get a seat in the legislature. Convinced that the main reason they did not get a sufficient number of votes was due to cheating during the counting process, these parties are aggressively determined not to endorse the results of the ballot and make the counting process as painfully and dangerously slow as possible. Some are even begging for free seats; others refuse to go away quietly. All show a pathetic inability to accept that they have lost in the election race.

Making things more complicated are issues of corruption and in-fighting among the members of the General Elections Committee (the body that determines the winners and losers of the election). Which means that things are basically back to square one here in Indonesia when it comes to determining what the next government is going to look like and who will be Indonesia's fourth president.

It is fortunate that most Indonesians are getting used to dashed hopes and unfulfilled promises. That politics in the country is a game of painful waiting and equally painful surprises. However, it is to be hoped that we can get a clear answer at least before the next millennium. Otherwise we might just see the students back in the streets once more.

The writer is a journalist and columnist based in Jakarta.