Indonesian politics a far cry from democracy

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.