Reflection on campaigns

At least at the preliminary stage, there is good reason to believe the country will have a peaceful and democratic legisla tive election on April 5. The first six of the total 22 days of the campaign period starting March 11 have proceeded smoothly.

People in the street deserve credit, because, as in the 1999 polls, they have proved they have political maturity. This is despite the fact that many, if not most, are disappointed at what little progress has been made in terms of economy recovery and law enforcement.

Their discontent at having to cope with ongoing hardships seems to be reflected in their indifference toward the ongoing indoor campaigns and toward supporters of the 24 political par ties rallying on the streets. They are not interested in discus sions with politicians, in fact most find dangdut singers of much more interest than top politicians like President Megawati Soe karnoputri.

Hopefully their wisdom and patience will endure despite possi ble attempts to inflame their frustrations.

The current government can say anything about the progress it has made in the last three years -- from improvement in macroeco nomic indicators, like the stability of the rupiah and low infla tion, the return of foreign investment, the betterment of securi ty and order -- but people have their own ways of measuring the government's performance. For them, worsening living conditions as reflected in increased layoffs and the increasing prices of daily necessities are very real experiences.

On the other hand, political parties merely repeat the prom ises they made five years ago, such as enriching the nation. They should realize that people are aware that many of our politicians are too busy enriching themselves rather than working for the sake of the people.

It is interesting to note that campaigners do seem to realize that people are becoming bored with them. Theses days they invar iably make short speeches before introducing singers to perform.

Compared to the festive 1999 general election -- the first democratic election held after the end of Soeharto's 32-year rule -- far more endurance is required by the people of this nation this time around. Just two months after the legislative election, the country will face another campaign period as it will have its first direct presidential election on July 5. If nobody wins a simple majority, a runoff will be held on Sept. 20.

It will be historic, because for the first time since inde pendence in 1945, citizens will have the final say on who will lead them for another five years. The whole electoral process will, however, be prone to violence and political disturbances.

The democratization and reform process that was launched with such gusto after the Soeharto regime's collapse in May 1998 started to stagnate not long after it began. Many people say that the nation is in no better shape now despite having a democrati cally elected government. However, we should remember that the nation had to start from scratch to rebuild the country after being devastated in virtually all aspects of life during Soehar to's leadership.

The government will not be able to work alone in reviving the country due to the magnitude of problems. All levels of society should join hands and not just wait for a miracle to happen, nor wait until the government makes a mistake and then criticize its failure without offering an alternative solution. The nation needs a fundamental overhaul.

Therefore we call all those contesting the elections, espe cially parties that took part in the 1999 general election, to recognize the people's frame of mind. Instead of repeating the same promises, it would far better for politicians to openly admit that they have failed to deliver on their promises and explain the reasons for that failure.

An open apology for one's own failures would be more appealing to a people who have gone through much hardship and disappoint ment than finding scapegoats for all ailments. So far no politi cian has made such an admittance, with most of them appear to be ready to blame the Megawati administration, as if they are totally blameless. For her part, Megawati and her supporters tend to be defensive and lack the courage to acknowledge her shortcomings.

People will follow someone only after that person can convince them they are doing their best for the nation. Do not blame poor education for people's lack of interest in electoral campaigns. People realize it is useless to trust politicians who shamelessly act like heroes yet have dismal track records.

We hope our politicians will find the courage to bow their heads and admit to their mistakes, and if they doubt that they will be able to deliver on their promises then they should refrain from creating uncertainty within society by not making such promises in the first place.