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.