Most Jakartans uninterested in politics

Zakki Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Research suggests that 66.3 percent of people living in the city have yet to participate in political activities, especially those concerned with policy-making.

The results of a survey conducted by the Institute for Civil Society (INCIS) on Jakarta's socio-political participation were published in a book launched on Tuesday.

The survey shows that 97.1 percent of Jakartans have never been involved in a political assembly with people from different political affiliations, 72 percent of people have never attended a political discussion and 94.7 percent are not members of a political party.

Moreover, 98.5 percent of residents have never generated nor distributed political pamphlets, while 93.4 percent claim that they have never participated in a demonstration.

The research also indicates that residents are not involved in policy-making, especially by the city administration.

The research concluded that since more than 50 percent of residents are not involved in political activities, the government's conduct has escaped public scrutiny.

Of particular concern, 95.8 percent of residents do not trust the government and 84.4 percent believe that the government is incapable of solving Jakarta's problems.

Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra, a member of INCIS' founding council, said in the book's foreword that there was a ongoing process which was counteractive to the development of civil society and that the research had attempted to identify specific problems in order to propose solutions.

INCIS recommended that social and political trust should come first through cultural development, eventually leading to a more politically aware society.

The non-governmental organization also proposed that the authorities encourage more voluntary groups to heighten people's social and political awareness.

The survey was taken by 480 residents of Jakarta, from 30 subdistricts, in five municipalities across the city, between Sept. 2002 and Feb. 2003.

Moreover, 57.5 percent of the respondents claimed that they earned below Rp 500,000 (approximately US$58.82) a month and only 39.5 percent were high school graduates.

INCIS' research was assisted by the Civil Society Support and Strengthening Program (CSSP)-United States Agency for International Development (USAID).