Pitfalls of democracy

Pitfalls of democracy

It is hoped that the government and the General Election
Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) can act swiftly to overcome the
problems in the General Elections Commission (KPU), and thereby
send out a positive signal to business circles both at home and
abroad. So far the public impression has been that those who are
in charge have been exceedingly tolerant of the objectionable
conduct that has been displayed by KPU members. Now the time
seems to have come for the General Election Supervisory Committee
to act with speed and determination.

According to the rules, the Supervisory Committee has a week
to examine all the KPU members' objections to the balloting
process and its results. The problem is: who must decide whether
those results are valid? For the Supervisory Committee to take
the decision that they are valid would mean that it is taking
over the KPU's authority. On the other hand, the problem is
certain to remain unresolved if the authority to decide is handed
back to the KPU.

We have chosen to adopt a democratic system, even though we
know that it will take time to teach both our people and our
politicians the true meaning of democracy. Our politicians must
learn to recognize what is good for the people and set their
priorities accordingly.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta