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.