Monday's polls a big leap for democracy

A. Junaidi, Jakarta

After almost 60 years, the Indonesian people will have the opportunity on Monday to elect their president directly, moving the country a step closer to becoming a full-fledged democracy.

Whoever wins the presidency, he or she will be the most legitimate leader Indonesia has ever elected. A candidate must win a simple majority in the landmark election which will see around 155 million people cast their votes.

Under the old regimes of Sukarno and Soeharto, the nation never really chose presidents or vice presidents.

The country's founding president Sukarno and vice president Mohammad Hatta were unanimously elected on Aug. 19, 1945 by the Indonesian Independence Preparation Committee (PPKI) which consisted of 15 members, including, Wahid Hasjim, Kasman Singodimejo, Ki Hajar Dewantara, Oto Iskandar Dinata, Iwa Kusumasumantri and Sajuti Melik. The committee was founded by the Japanese colonial government to win over the hearts and minds of Indonesians in the wake of World War II.

Despite the political and security instability and lack of preparation, the country organized its first general election in 1955, which was viewed by many as the country's first democratic election.

Only four years later, Sukarno, backed by the military, dissolved the Konstituante, the law-making body whose members were elected in 1955, although they were coming close to completing the draft of the new Constitution.

Sukarno declared a state of emergency, marking the decline of democracy in the new nation state.

The Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS), whose members were appointed by Sukarno, installed him as life-time president in 1963.

A failed coup attempt blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and elements of the Army in 1965 justified a transfer of power from Sukarno to Gen. Soeharto.

MPRS, which had undergone a purging of communist elements, held a special session in 1967 to dismiss Sukarno and appoint Soeharto as acting president.

Democracy became namesake under Soeharto, who resisted criticism. Under his 32-year rule, Indonesia organized six general elections, held every five years between 1971 and 1997.

Soeharto's reelection by the People's Consultative Assembly dominated by his Golkar Party, was always a foregone conclusion under a political system in which dissension was taboo.

Even "opposition" parties did not dare to nominate candidates other than Soeharto, known as the smiling general. The Muslim- based United Development Party (PPP) offered a little bit opposition in the nomination of the vice president in 1987. but gave up ahead of election day. Soeharto hailed PPP's submission as a victory for democracy under state ideology Pancasila.

A severe economic crisis followed by a wave of student demonstrations demanding sweeping reform forced Soeharto to resign on May 21, 1998. Vice President B.J. Habibie, whom the MPR appointed as Soeharto's substitute, promised a snap general election.

Golkar Party suffered its first defeat ever in the general election in 1999 which was hailed as the most democratic since 1955. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle finished first, but its candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri lost to Muslim cleric Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid thanks to political maneuvering orchestrated by the Axis Force, a loose coalition of Islamic parties.

Megawati's defeat was a dear price to pay for an indirect presidential election, not only because the practice is less democratic, but also prone to vote buying. A candidate may need to bribe 351 out of 700 MPR lawmakers to win the presidency.

The same MPR members dismissed Gus Dur in 2001 for incompetence and appointed Megawati as president.

A bill for a direct presidential election, which was endorsed by the MPR in 2002, was part of the constitutional amendments the country required to move toward democracy.

Historian Anhar Gonggong said the direct presidential election was a big leap Indonesia was making toward democracy.

"Before the reform movement, what we practiced was a pseudo democracy. Both Sukarno and Soeharto killed democracy," said Anhar of the University of Indonesia.

The direct presidential election, Anhar said, will allow the nation to get off to a good start in its bid to achieve genuine democracy.