Megawati's reelection a setback for democratic development

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The reelection of Megawati Soekarnoputri as leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) during the party's congress in Bali last Thursday reinforces the proposition that after more than six years from the fall of the Soeharto dictatorship, democracy has not yet entrenched itself into one of the key institutions that is supposed to uphold its existence.

It also serves as a bitter reminder to those true champions of democracy within the party that they still have a long way to go.

Megawati was elected as party leader for the third time in a row, in a contest stripped of any possible competition. She was re-elected simply because there were no other candidates.

In the run-up to the congress, party members were constantly told that she was the only credible figure that could lead this populist, nationalist-oriented party.

Speculation was rife prior to the congress that PDI-P branches were coerced into nominating Megawati in exchange for certain rewards.

When the party congress was finally convened, all stops were pulled out to ensure her re-election, reducing the significance of the Rp 11 billion (US$ 1.15 billion) event to that of a rubber stamp.

In the early stages of the congress, the party's central board pushed for a bloc vote mechanism for the leadership election. The mechanism was finally endorsed by representatives from the PDI-P's provincial and regental branches, with the exception of the 24 participants representing Papua.

Then came the most severe blow to democracy within the party: Megawati was declared leader of the party after the bulk of local party representatives accepted her accountability speech, despite the fact that she failed to guide PDI-P to victory in the legislative and presidential elections last year, as mandated by the party in its 2000 congress.

All congress sessions were cut short, preventing delegates from taking part in thorough and quality deliberations on matters related to bread-and-butter issues. A session held to discuss Megawati's accountability speech clocked in at only 10 minutes.

What transpired during last week's congress was reminiscent of the patrician political playacting of Soeharto, who was re- elected President unopposed every five years like clockwork, for the entire 32-years of his tenure. Every time a presidential election was due, the elderly autocrat would "refuse" to be nominated. Leaders of the three legal political parties of that time along with Soeharto-appointed representative from the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) would queue up at his private residence to express their support for his next five-year term and to "beg" him to become President again.

This last congress will establish the PDI-P as one of the few political parties that have failed to modernize and shift away from dependence on charismatic leadership in order to sustain their existence.

The congress failed to usher in the transformations that could have led to the emergence of a modern political party that banks on its structure and political programs to prosper rather than the shallow charisma of its incumbent leader. Instead, PDI-P moved further away from such a possibility.

Megawati is now viewed by too many PDI-P members as being the sole representative of the party.

All her high-handed "prerogatives" remain intact, and she is liable to use them whenever necessary, just like when she appointed her younger brother Guruh Soekarnoputra as head of the culture department, a move that could be viewed as settlement of a family feud.

At the early stage of the congress, Guruh declared that he would challenge Megawati for the party's leadership with the backing of a reform group. However, he made an inexplicable, last-minute decision to join Megawati's camp.

But should the affairs of a national political party be a family concern?