Parties mired by trust crisis: Polling research

Parties mired by trust crisis: Polling research

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia's political parties are self-centered, and ignore
the public interest they claim to represent, resulting in a
crisis over a loss of confidence, a new poll reveals.

And the only way for those parties to win back the people's
trust is to follow a path of self-introspection while ridding
themselves of party leaders involved in corruption, collusion,
and nepotism (KKN).

The polling, carried out by the Psychology Department of
Bandung-based Padjadjaran University showed that the confidence
crisis has infected all political parties in Indonesia, including
the first seven biggest parties.

The research specifically looked at the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan); the Golkar Party; the United
Development Party (PPP); the National Awakening Party (PKB); the
National Mandate Party (PAN); the Star and Crescent Party (PBB),
and the Democracy and Love Nation Party (PDKB).

The researchers randomly interviewed 1,100 respondents from
various big cities across Indonesia, and asked them about their
perception of the performances of the political parties.

In the polling which used a sampling of techniques, a majority
of respondents were senior high school and university graduates
aged between 21 to 40 years old.

Two psychology lecturers of Padjadjaran University Hatta
Albanik and Zulrizka Iskandar presented the results of their
polling here on Wednesday in a discussion attended by deputy
chairman of Golkar Marzuki Darusman, and deputy secretary general
Pramono Anung.

The diminishing trust of the people was caused by their
suspicions that the leaders of the parties -- especially the
Golkar Party -- were involved in KKN, the polling said.

"The respondents believed that Golkar was heavily linked to
the corrupt New Order era, in which the Golkar leaders were
associated with KKN practices," said the polling.

PDI Perjuangan and the PPP had also incrementally lost trust
from the people. The respondents perceived that the leaders of
the two parties were no longer keen in fighting for the people's
aspirations, as they wasted their time and energy in settling
their internal conflicts.

The polling did not mention the exact cases, but it has been
public knowledge that PDI Perjuangan has been crippled recently
by internal conflicts in which some prominent leaders of the
party have tendered their resignations.

The PPP, meantime, has split into two factions: One, led by
Vice President Hamzah Haz and the other by Zaenuddin M.Z.

Marzuki Darusman agreed with the polling, and noted that
Golkar must work hard to sever its links with the New Order
administration.

"Remove Golkar leaders associated with the New Order regime --
especially those in the party's board of patrons. They are
burdens to the party," said Marzuki.

But he refused to point out the party leaders that have to be
dismissed, saying that it was unethical.

Pramono Anung Wibowo said that, to regain the public trust,
his party has promoted an anti-KKN campaign, and was continuously
consolidating power.

"Our top leadership has also vowed that party members with
connections to drugs will be fired," said Pramono.