Renewing our party system

Renewing our party system

By Arbi Sanit

JAKARTA (JP): After four days of ballot counting, it has
become increasingly clear that Golkar will emerge as the absolute
majority in the 1997 general election, the United Development
Party (PPP) will succeed in augmenting its votes, and the
Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) will reach its nadir.
Apparently, the general election is showing its ability to
simplify our party system.

But the simplification of parties nearly a quarter of a
century ago, has been amended. The disapproval of a two-party
system on pluralist arguments, which was supported by party
politicians nearly three decades ago, has been rebutted.

Nevertheless, this development is not the only force needed to
carry out a renewal of Indonesia's party system in the future.
The use of the opportunities is largely determined by how much
the authorities, and the society at large, feels it is necessary.

The simplification of the party system requires two things,
namely a guarantee of the effectiveness of policy and decision
making, and a guarantee of representation of the society in the
structure of political parties and the government. This is part
of the democratization efforts of all aspects of societal life.

The three-party system in the House of Representatives in the
past three decades has indeed been more simple than a multiparty
system. But even that still needs engineering through the
procedure and limitations of the House's authority so that
parties and non-government factions tend to lose in political
interaction.

The military's faction in the House is necessary to render
political decisions effective as shown by the Armed Forces' dual
function. In this way, a two-party system would be more effective
in the House, especially if it is accompanied by an adjustment of
factions i.e. the work faction which is a joining of the Armed
Forces and Golkar factions on the one hand and the party factions
on the other. This would make discussion more intensive because
of the limited time and each spokesperson would be compelled to
speak more profoundly to avoid repetition.

The concern about an increase in the political non-
representation of the plural society in a two-party system would
not necessarily become a reality. Political representation of
society can be maintained by shifting it from the level of party
ideology and organization to the level of the party elite who
occupy legislative and executive functions.

There are two techniques of political representation to meet
the need for change. These include the adjustment of the
composition of party candidates for the general election and the
complexity of the value structure and society's interest which
have been made the social basis of the party concerned. The
second technique is to recruit prominent community organization
figures as candidates for the general election on the basis they
manifest latent interest groups.

Realization of the two methods demands full and systematic
participation of the community at large in composing and
determining the candidates of each participating organization. A
party congress at branch or national level, which is usually used
to elect a leader, to decide on programs and to review the
party's statutes and rules of association, must be complemented
with the election of candidates for the general election.

The increase of votes in the 1997 general election for Golkar
and the United Development Party and the minimum number of votes
obtained by the Indonesian Democratic Party, provides an
opportunity for the party system to be rearranged naturally.

There are two possibilities in this context. First, to
eliminate the Soerjadi-led Indonesian Democratic Party because it
will be a problem in the representation system in legislative
institutions due to the minimum number of representatives. It
will be a burden to the state and it will be unable to contribute
anything except formally.

Second, to establish a new party supported by the United
Development Party, a Megawati version of the Indonesian
Democratic Party, and pro-democracy community groups. The new
party will need a new name, such as "Development Democracy", and
a new interpretation of ideology, in line with its name, of
Pancasila as a compulsory ideology. It will require an internal
power system that is competitive and open and applies the
principle of power by the majority. It will protect minorities.
It will require cooperative leadership, and an organization based
on power balance.

The macroeconomic conditions required for the realization of
this is the openness of the authorities toward change. Thus the
law governing political parties and Golkar, the General Election
law and the House of Representatives procedures, both at
provincial and central level, will have to be open to the
possibility of change in the party system.

Window: The increase of votes in the 1997 general election for
Golkar and the PPP and the minimum number of votes obtained by
the PDI, provides an opportunity for the party system to be
rearranged naturally.