Scholars give thumbs down on 1997 elections
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Two political analysts have poured cold water on rising expectations that the 1997 general election will usher in a new era of democracy in Indonesia.
Riswanda Imawan of Gadjah Mada University said that politically, Indonesia is still immature while Yusril Ihza Mahendra of the University of Indonesia said that without any major changes in the political and electoral laws, 1997 will not be that different from any of the elections in Indonesia since 1971.
Speaking at a seminar on the upcoming elections, both Riswanda and Yusril pinned the problem on the same thing -- too much state intervention.
The seminar on Thursday was organized by Atma Jaya University.
The general election in 1997, the sixth to be held under President Soeharto since 1971, will be contested by three government-sanctioned parties: Golkar, the United Development Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party.
Riswanda said state intervention and a depoliticized culture have meant that Indonesia cannot respond to political challenges because society is still in its political infancy.
The political maturity desired by all is still more of a dream than a reality, he said.
Because of the strong presence and control of the state in people's daily activities, he said a large segment of society has become apolitical and apathetic.
The regulation requiring permits for any gathering, he added, is one of the many factors that has contributed to this situation.
Riswanda said another cause of political apathy is the weakening political ethics of the ruling elite.
Campaigns
This is reflected in farcical election campaigns, which he described as nothing more than entertainment rather than a means of politically educating the people.
"The election campaign materials and the candidates brought forth are often insignificant to the substance of issues faced by society," he remarked.
Yusril said those who are looking for democratic progress in the coming elections are bound to be disappointed.
"The maintenance of election rules and laws still pinned on the ideals contained in 1969 laws will result in the coming 1997 election having little difference from prior elections since 1971," he said.
He said elections rely much on the vigor of political parties which, in Indonesia, are strictly controlled and financed by the state under law No. 3/1985.
"The role of the state is very dominant, such as the authority given to the Minister of Home Affairs as the patron of domestic politics," he said of the legislation.
The law marginalizes political parties in terms of state decision making. "Political parties seem to be helpless. They have no independence or even autonomy which is what a democratic system should be about," he said. (har/mds)