Old forces contest election

Tiarma Siboro and Mochammad N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced on Sunday 24 political parties eligible to contest the 2004 polls, with analysts expressing concern of the possible revival of the New Order.

Daniel Sparringa of the Surabaya-based Airlangga University warned that New Order pedigrees would take over the lead in the fight for reform as parties that claimed to promote the spirit of democracy wasted the momentum.

"Issues on democratization, decentralization and human rights, were popular then, but the public immediately felt disappointed with the loss of security and welfare as the cost they had to pay for reform.

"I guess political parties affiliated to New Order elements will offer issues on national unity, security and welfare, while promising democratization and other reform goals," Daniel told The Jakarta Post

He said the issues could easily win support from people who were fed up with the so-called reform parties which "have done nothing different from their predecessor."

Riswanda Imawan from the Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University said that the comeback of New Order cronies could be seen immediately following KPU's announcement of the parties that qualified for the upcoming elections.

"Almost 60 percent of the parties are believed to be cronies of the New Order regime," he said, without mentioning which parties he was referring to.

Among the parties qualifying for next year's elections several are led by former government officials or organizations associated with former president Soeharto's New Order regime.

The return of New Order supporters in politics has been anticipated with the success of former government officials under Soeharto in qualifying for the election of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

Indonesia is scheduled to hold a legislative election on April 5 next year and its first-ever direct presidential election three months later.

The 1999 general election, the first since the fall of the New Order regime in May 1998, had raised hopes for democracy, the rule of law and civil society. But the passing time revealed the struggle for power among parties claiming to be fighting for sweeping reforms.

While corruption remains unabated, if not worse than before, the parties that won House of Representatives' seats and work together in President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Cabinet have taken short-term political interests into account in every policy making process.

Riswandha said the so-called reform parties had taken the New Order lightly.

"It is a great strategy of the old regime. Its supporters have consolidating themselves within the years when we thought they had collapsed. It is at a time when political parties that claim to be supporters of reform are fragmented, the consolidated- elements of the New Order are striking back," Riswanda told the Post.

He predicted that Golkar, the political vehicle of former president Soeharto's New Order, would lead a move to build an alliance with the newly established parties linked to the old regime to win next year's elections.

"Nowadays, political parties, especially the country's biggest parties, are facing difficulties in building a coalition among themselves. Indeed, no parties, even the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or Golkar, will win the majority votes during the elections," he said.