Message delivered
With only around one percent of ballots tallied as of yesterday evening (Tuesday, April 6), it may seem premature at this early stage to comment on the lessons that Monday's legislative election convey -- to the nation and to the world, but most importantly, to the players involved in this quinquennial "feast of democracy." And yet, a number of circumstances have already emerged, bearing a message that the party politicians would do well to heed.
The first point, is that the message embodies a double phenomenon of the upsurge of votes garnered by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the noteworthy performance displayed by the Democratic Party of former Coordinating Minister of Political Affairs and Security, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Of course, PKS's performance this time around as compared to 1999 (when they were known as PK) does not entirely come as a surprise. The party, riding a swell of popular discontent over the current government's apparent lack of sincerity in its promise to wipe out corruption and injustice, did quite well indeed during the campaigning period as the numbers indicate so far.
According to the early results released by the General Elections Commission on Tuesday morning, PKS has a little over 10 percent of the total, on the first full day of counting in a number of areas nationwide. Unlike PKS, which has been in existence for around six years, and surely would have been able to strengthen its support network and experience in that time, Yudhoyono's Democratic Party lacks any record of earlier performance whatsoever. It was created almost overnight, just over a year ago, apparently as a vehicle especially designed to launch the former security chief into political orbit. With more than 12 percent of votes so far, the Democratic Party is doing startlingly well for a party in its infancy.
Although some political analysts predicted that neither of these two parties would be able to accumulate anywhere close to 10 percent, their performance sends out a clear message that Indonesians have had enough of corruption and injustice, and that many of them yearn for a change to a strong and decisive leadership to steer the nation out of its present problems. Many analysts believe that PKS could have done even better if it did not insist on clinging to its devout Islamist roots -- a subject it rarely mentions publicly these days, but also never repudiated.
What this message conveys is the clear warning that the major governing parties -- such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) -- could well have much of their power eroded, unless they mend their ways and start getting serious results when it comes to eradicating injustice and corruption and by establishing good governance to improve the common people's lot in this potentially rich country.
Amid all this, the barrage of criticism aimed at the General Elections Commission (KPU) deserves to be mentioned. It is, of course, true that many things concerning the elections went awry in the past few weeks; ballots destined for Region A were sent to Region B. Region C did not get any ballot papers at all, etc. Confusion about how to vote continued well into election day -- an understandable complication considering that this was the first direct election of individual legislators held in Indonesia. The list of foul-ups and errors could go on forever.
Yet, anyone who is familiar with the complexities of this vast archipelago should appreciate the difficulties the KPU was faced with and is still facing. Indonesia is a country of superlatives. Its population of approximately 210 million is spread over more than 17,000 islands, big and small. Mountain chains, a difficult terrain and lack of traveling means and infrastructure are keeping many regions isolated, even in this modern age. Given those obstacles, the KPU has actually done an admirable job getting to most of those areas, or practically all with a few exceptions, to supply voters with the necessary voting materials. Moreover, the confusion and the delays that made many voters anxious over the last week or so, are not the fault of the General Elections Commission alone. The House of Representatives, for one, could have made the Commission's job much easier had it finished deliberating the General Elections Bill on time.
In conclusion, the maturity and the good sense which the citizenry displayed on election day deserves comment. The unforeseen and excellent support of the PKS and the Democratic Party -- at the expense, no doubt, of certain established parties -- and the peaceful and orderly process of the voting on Monday is proof that the Indonesian electorate is not as naive as many politicians seem to assume. Let that be a warning for the political elite in this country to take the Indonesian electorate seriously and stop making promises they do not intend to keep.