National media widely availed of by candidates in local leadership polls

National media widely availed of by candidates in local leadership polls

Sylvia Yazid, Bandung

As with any attempt to initiate change, the local leadership
elections have raised various interesting issues.

One of them is the campaign process and how it is managed. The
candidates, and their campaign teams, have been making the most
of all resources, means and media they could possibly be of use
to them in reaching out to and convince people to vote for them.

In modern election campaigns, the media, both print and
electronic, is one of the main tools used to reach a wide range
of potential voters. One of the most interesting forms of
campaigning is the use of TV ads, which were extensively aired by
the candidates in the last presidential election. During the
current local elections, some candidates have been using the same
strategy -- advertising on both local and national TV.

There is no rule against advertising on TV during an election
campaign and the candidates have all the right in the world to
choose the media they wish to avail of at both the national and
local levels. Nevertheless, the following question arises: why do
they advertise on national TV when they are actually running for
local office, with the electorate being confined to those who
live and are registered in the local government jurisdiction
concerned. There are at least two reasons for positing that
advertising on national TV could well turn out to be a waste of
time and money.

First, we must admit that national TV, with its wide coverage,
is watched by people in almost all parts of Indonesia. But why
should a candidate use national TV, with its national coverage,
when his actual target group is the people in the region where
the election is being held? Most regions have their own local TV
stations, which would seem to be a more appropriate choice for
advertising as this would demonstrate the candidate's orientation
and commitment toward the region.

Moreover, what benefit is it hoped to gain as regards the rest
of the people outside the particular region who also happen to watch
the ads, but do not live or are registered to vote in the region?
In my case, for example, I have moved from my hometown to another
city on another island. Although I still have a strong attachment
to my hometown and want to see the region develop under the
guidance of a capable and trustworthy local leader, there is no
possibility for me to participate in elections there. While I
might be convinced that the candidate I saw on national TV is the
right candidate for my region, I do not have the right to vote
for him.

And I certainly will not call my family back home and try to
persuade them to vote for the candidate that I prefer. In an
ideal democratic election, people do not vote based on
suggestions from their family or relatives or friends. In short,
no matter how convincing the ads may be, there is nothing I can
do to directly express my support.

Second, unless a candidate has the full support of the TV
station as a result of the TV station being somehow affiliated to
his political party, advertising on national TV requires a lot of
money -- both to produce the ads and to buy slots -- money that
might be more meaningfully spent at the local level. Of course,
the candidate could have access to vast funding resources so that
he can afford to campaign at both the local and national levels.
In such a case, it is arguable that these vast resources could be
better used to support the region's development after the
candidate is elected.

Despite the above arguments, a number of candidates have still
chosen to run ads on national TV as part of their campaigns. The
most logical explanation for this is image-building. A candidate
needs to highlight his reputation and capabilities so as to
impress potential supporters.

Those candidates who run ads on national TV may already have,
or be trying to develop, a national reputation. In a society
where anything national or related to the center of power is
considered important, having a national reputation is definitely
an advantage. The perception might thus be inculcated that if a
candidate can advertise on national TV, he must have a strong
position at the national level. As we are still in the process of
seeking the most appropriate form of decentralization, a leader
who has influence at the national level is still needed.
Furthermore, under the current decentralization scheme, each
region needs a leader who can bring its interests to the fore at
the national and even international levels -- and a
leader with a national reputation is as good a start as any in
this regard.

The ability to advertise on national TV might also be
interpreted as evidence that a candidate has access to vast
resources, which hopefully will also be used for the development
of the region once the candidate has been elected. Some potential
supporters might even believe that those who advertise on TV will
be less tempted to engage in graft after they get into office.
Why should a candidate engage in corruption when he is already
loaded, or so the argument might go.

Nevertheless, such beliefs are highly debatable. We have to
bear in mind that people in Indonesia are becoming politically
more aware. They might not be so easily impressed by flashy ads
in the national media. In fact, they might even want to know how
a candidate can afford to advertise on national TV; what is the
money coming from and is there any guarantee that the candidate
won't pillage the local government's coffers after being elected
so as to make good the huge sums they spent during the campaign. And,
of course, there are always those party die-hards whose views
will be extremely difficult to change. Image, good or bad, is not
built overnight. It requires enormous effort over a considerable
period of time.

Whatever the reasons behind their choices, candidates are free
to choose whatever means and media they wish to employ during
their campaigns. At the end of the day, it is the people who will
decide who they want to be their leaders. This is what a direct,
democratic election is all about.

In reality, all this should be treated as a political learning
process for we Indonesians as we move toward a more democratic
and open society.

The writer is a lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University