Not much of a campaign

The first week of the election campaign period has been disappointing. Anyone searching for anything resembling political substance is bound to have a difficult time. What little political messages delivered in the campaign so far have been eclipsed by violent incidents, disruptions to peace and order, endless complaints, and the hustle and bustle of campaigning. If the campaign period is supposed to be the climax of the "fiesta of democracy", as the election is often fondly referred to by government officials, then this past week has been more like a rowdy party, and very little, if any, democracy to show for.

The new, tight regulations on campaigning were designed to minimize the likelihood of violence and disturbances to peace and order. They were introduced to prevent the campaign from turning into a show of force by the three political groups contesting the election. Judging by events this past week, they seem to have just the opposite effect. PPP in Jakarta started motorcades that disrupted traffic, but Golkar showed that "anything that PPP does, Golkar can do better". Attorney General Singgih, who heads the election supervision committee, said all three contestants are guilty of such violations.

The dialogs at indoor meetings that were supposed to replace outdoor rallies in this campaign period have been flat and dull, thanks to tighter regulations. With campaign speakers barred from attacking other parties and with speeches requiring the authorities' prior approval, there is not much one could expect to hear from such dialogs. Televised political dialogs and monologs did not fare any better: they were badly arranged and poorly choreographed. Half-hour slots allotted to the contestants each night lacked spontaneity and were uninspiring.

While we are not advocating negative campaigns, some zealot election officials seemed to have taken the rules too far. Criticizing the government, its policies or corruption practices, were deemed as violations. Golkar leaders have ordered their campaign speakers not to make promises on behalf of the government for fear that it might not be able to deliver them.

Exactly what these dialogs are intended for is not clear given all the tight restrictions imposed. They have little educational value as was intended in the first place, they are not telling us what the government has in store for us in the next five years, and they are unlikely to attract or swing votes.

Open field rallies, with their shortcomings and potentials of causing riots, have fared better in terms of communication between political parties and their supporters. The slogans that were yelled at these rallies may have limited value, but the response they invoked represented the aspirations of the people.

The first week of the campaign saw the election effectively reduced into a two-horse race between the mighty Golkar and the PPP. As many political analysts have feared, PDI, under government-backed chairperson Soerjadi, has not been able to put up an effective campaign. It is clear that ousted chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri still enjoys much of PDI's grassroots support, and by excluding her, the government has also sidelined many PDI supporters. The burden of facing the mighty Golkar now falls solely on PPP. This could win it some votes, but it also means that Golkar pressure during this campaign will be on them. The results of the May 29 election will tell.

For a country that is still establishing its form of democracy, progress is ultimately determined through the process of the election and not by its outcome, especially since a landslide Golkar victory was assured before the campaign even started. Of what we have seen from the first week of campaigning, this has been a setback for our democracy. The three contestants and the election authorities can, and hopefully will, try to improve the campaigns in the remaining three weeks. Let's not spoil the party. Let democracy flourish in this country.