Many baffled by voting options

Many baffled by voting options

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): An ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver proudly
displayed his hat bearing the symbol of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) and, while waiting for
passengers, chatted with his friends about the party's past
achievements.

Maman, who operates in North Jakarta's Pademangan area, said
he bought the hat from a sidewalk vendor for Rp 5,000.

"I want to vote for PDI Perjuangan, Ibu Mega's party," said
the junior high school graduate confidently.

He was referring to Megawati Soekarnoputri, PDI Perjuangan's
chairwoman and presidential candidate.

But when asked about the party's identifying number for the
coming elections, with a broad smile, Maman answered: "It's
three, right?"

Without realizing his mistake, he looked at his friends, also
ojek drivers, to seek approval. Almost spontaneously, they all
nodded in agreement.

PDI Perjuangan's identifying number is actually 11. But
Maman's mistake is understandable given that in the old days when
there were only three official political parties, PDI's number
was three -- number one was the United Development Party (PPP)
and two was Golkar.

The number of parties, however, has swollen to 48. With so
many parties contesting the June 7 elections, people are more
likely to mix up the parties' identifying numbers. To add the
confusion, there are also parties with similar symbols.

Six parties use a bull as their symbol. They are the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI), the Indonesian National Party (PNI), the
PNI-Front Marhaenis, the Indonesian National Party-Marhaen (PNI-
Massa Marhaen) and the National Democratic Party (PND).

Eighteen parties use a star or several stars as their symbol.
Some combine a star with a crescent.

This year's elections, expected to be the first free and fair
elections in decades, have become a hot topic not only among
experts and politicians, but also among ordinary people.

A Kosti taxi driver, Simanjuntak (not his real name) said he
did not vote in the last elections, but would exercise his right
this time.

But he said he had yet to find a party that was "closest to
his heart".

"There are too many parties... One minute I want to vote for
this, and then the next for that. But honestly, there's no party
that I really know about," said the father of three. "Maybe when
it comes time to vote I'll just close my eyes and pick one," he
laughed.

He says that as a taxi driver, he spends much of his time on
the road and does not have time to read newspapers or to watch TV
to learn about each party.

"I leave home in the morning and return home before midnight.
So by the time I get back, all I need is a good sleep," said the
senior high school graduate.

He also does not know much about the "early" campaigns
conducted by some parties.

"I know that there are many banners belonging to some parties
on every corner of the city these days. But what do the banners
really mean to people like me?" he asked.

But he does have a desire: "I wish that whichever party wins
the election will fight for justice, without discrimination, for
both the poor and the rich. And I also hope there'll be no
riots."

People's confusion might pose a threat to the success of the
elections.

Political observer Muhammad A.S. Hikam of the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences warns that people's confusion might make
them less enthusiastic, or even reluctant, to vote.

"But the main danger is people voting recklessly, voting for
any party. People might even vote for unknown parties," he said.

After all the years when people only had to choose between
three parties, it will be a new experience for them to pick one
out of the 48 parties contesting next month's elections.

Hikam cited a joke about PAN chairman and presidential
candidate Amien Rais' experience when campaigning in Surakarta,
Central Java, as an example of people's confusion.

"I don't know whether this joke is true or not, but it's what
I heard. And I think it can be taken as people's wisdom. There,
Amien asks a woman to vote for PAN. She says 'yes, PAN'. Then
Amien asks her whether she knows what PAN's party symbol is, and
she answers, 'yes, beringin (the banyan tree)'."

The banyan tree is the symbol of the Golkar Party, which was
the dominant party under former president Soeharto for over 30
years. PAN's symbol is a white sun on a blue background.

Hikam urged all parties, including small ones, to familiarize
the public with their parties to prevent confusion among people,
especially those living in remote areas.

"Familiarization is very important as there are too many
parties now," he said. "A lack of familiarization will only
benefit Golkar."

He added that big parties had so far had no problem with
familiarizing the public, as could be seen through their banners
decorating most cities.

"But where's all the small parties? What have they been doing
all this time?" he asked.

He said the parties could not completely rely on the General
Elections Commission (KPU) to familiarize the public, but added
that the government should help fund the process.

Independent monitoring organizations, he said, have
familiarized the public about parties contesting the elections
despite their limited funding, human resources and time.

"Hopefully there won't be many people who are confused (about
who to vote for)," Hikam said.