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