Kiss and make up
Kiss and make up
Indonesia made history on Monday, yet most people probably
don't know it.
The country held the final round of its first-ever direct
presidential election. The system is not perfect, but it was
quite democratic. But what is even more significant is the fact
that the election proceeded in an orderly and peaceful manner.
Indonesians deserve to pat themselves on the back, for
showing, to ourselves more than to anybody else, that we can hold
a democratic and peaceful election. For a nation that has lived
through a prolonged spell of violence in recent years, this is
quite an achievement.
Just 12 days ago, a powerful car bomb exploded outside the
Australian Embassy in Jakarta, killing nine people and injuring
dozens of others. This was only the latest in a series of deadly
terrorist attacks that this nation has had to live with.
Violence has become part of the daily lives of people in Aceh
and Papua, two provinces where separatist rebels have been waging
low-intensity guerrilla campaigns. There is also the seemingly
never-ending communal violence in Maluku and in the Central
Sulawesi district of Poso.
Given this background, it is no wonder that many observers,
both local and foreign, feared that the election could have been
marred by disturbances, as often happens in other countries like
India. But what they have overlooked is that none of the violence
mentioned above was related to the electoral process.
The 1999 general election, the first time that this nation
held a truly democratic poll in over four decades, went smoothly
despite gloomy predictions of unrest. The general election in
April this year went without a hitch, and likewise, the first-
round presidential election in July was trouble-free.
Surely, by this stage we should all realize that violence is
not part and parcel of the electoral process. It never is, unless
someone decides to turn the election into a violent arena for a
war of his own making.
The threat of violent disruption is most likely to come from
one of the candidates, or his or her die-hard supporters.
It is therefore comforting to hear that both candidates on the
eve of Monday's final round openly stated that they would respect
the outcome of the election, come what may.
In the run-up to Monday's election, the candidates, or rather
their campaign managers, had been trading accusations that at
times bordered on character assassination. Some may argue that
"negative campaigning" has become an inevitable part of election
strategies in Indonesia. But Susilo's rise to popularity over the
past year shows that such strategies can also backfire.
The roles played by the two candidates therefore are important
if we want to maintain the peace and stability that have
accompanied this year's election process so far. Their pledges to
respect the results, while welcome, may not be sufficient.
At this crucial stage of the process, as we wait for the
General Elections Commission to complete the vote count and
tabulation, the two candidates should quickly bury the hatchet
and reconcile. They should do this in public so that their
supporters will also do the same.
In a two-horse election race such as the one we have just
witnessed, the nation was divided into two camps. It was not only
the candidates who were slugging it out in the run-up to Monday's
election. The divisions between the two camps go all the way down
to the grassroots level.
Both Megawati and Susilo should now start doing their best to
restrain their die-hard supporters and make sure that they don't
resort to violence when the final results are announced.
At the end of the day, the two candidates and their supporters
must realize that as far as the public at large are concerned,
elections are not so much about winning as they are about what is
best for the nation. The people, by casting their votes on
Monday, have made their decision. Let's leave it at that.