Orderly campaigns

Although the rules that have been set down by the General Elections Commission in Decree No. 701/2003 last year were obviously welcomed by the Indonesian public, a number of questions remain that need to be cleared up well before the three-week long campaigning period ahead of the April 4 legislative elections kicks off.

The problem is not so much the fear that the nation's newly found freedom -- especially the freedom of expression -- could spark off inter-party clashes that could prove to be too strong for the security officers to contain and resolve. The problem centers on whether the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) is adequately equipped to monitor, interpret and intercede in cases of unfair treatment of election candidates, real or perceived.

Already, a number of parties have complained that election supervisory committees in different regions appear to be either exploiting existing loopholes or interpreting the details of the decree differently.

The Jakarta General Elections Commission, for example, has reported two political parties to the police for staging of campaign activities well ahead of March 11, which is the date the commission has named for campaigning to start. Similarly in Banjarmasin, in the province of South Kalimantan, officials have questioned the leaders of 17 political parties accused of cheating by starting their campaigns early.

So far, however, these "early campaigns" have been relatively innocent, limited to marches and parades staged by party supporters in their hundreds, outfitted in official party uniforms and carrying their party's banners.

Nevertheless, the fact that so many parties have deemed it proper to cheat on the regulations, even if not overtly, gives some cause for worry of what might be in store for the public once the official campaign period begins. Also, Indonesia's political parties still seem to find it difficult to shake off the old tradition of staging large and noisy parades as a means of seeking victory in elections.

General Elections Commission Decree No. 701/2003 makes it clear that campaigners must be decent in their use of language in speeches, and refrain from directly attacking or vilifying rival parties in the elections. Campaigns must be both orderly and educational for the public at large -- that is to say, they must "provide useful information and educate the voters," the commission's decree stipulates. To be sure, in past years too general elections were held under similar -- if far less stringent and elaborate -- regulations, yet sporadic cases of violence among supporters of different parties could not be entirely prevented.

In any case, the new regulations do raise the hope that this time around the election campaigns, which will last from March 11 to April 1, can effectively help to educate the Indonesian electorate. Surely, it is with this purpose in mind the decree states in Article 4 that the election campaigns must be designed to inform the electorate of the vision, mission and programs of the participating parties concerned. Further, they must inform the electorate in sufficient detail of the policies the parties in question plan to execute once they are in power.

Such an achievement could help bring about the gradual emergence in this country of an electorate that is more informed, more educated and more responsible than those of the past. Achieving that goal would certainly enhance the good repute the General Elections Commission has already earned for itself so far. Of course, it will be a little difficult to expect, especially with the constant threat of violence hanging like the sword of Damocles over the head of Indonesians, that the general election in April will be totally void of destructiveness and violence.

However, if that goal can be achieved -- even if small incidents of violence do occur here and there -- this country will have made an important step toward building a sound and healthy civil society. That would be one of the most important achievements of the 2004 general election.