The 1997 election

The prologue to the 1997 general election kicked off yesterday with a voter registration drive throughout the nation. It is estimated that more than half the eligible population will vote in the election scheduled for May 1997. They will elect 425 of the 500 members of the House of Representatives (the other 75 are ABRI appointees), as well as members of the local regional legislatures.

It will be the sixth general election administered by the New Order government, a feat which is often paraded as proof of its political success. Yet, there are indications that the coming election will be very different from those of the past.

Firstly, most of the aging generation of 1945, the so-called freedom fighters, will not be candidates for the House of Representatives. Of course, a few retired armed forces officers will stay on, but among the civilians there are only a handful of these fighters left. But a younger House of Representatives is not an assurance that it will be more energetic, democratic or open-minded, since the attitude of its members will remain a reflection of the current political culture, which tends to encourage the maintenance of the status-quo.

Second, there will be around 20 million first-time voters in the coming election, a fact which will certainly influence the outcome of the voting. This group, born in the late 1970s, not only did not witness the 1965 communist coup trauma, they also did not experience the political turbulence of 1974 and 1978. They are in fact the very product of the New Order, and from childhood they have been brought up in a culture of the free market, consumerism and globalization; all of which have shaped their social character.

Naturally, these first-time voters have their own way of thinking and their own perceptions, which are clearly different from those of their elders. They enjoy better access to information but some people may accuse them of having less idealism than their parents. However it is circumstances that have helped to make them the way they are. If they are indifferent to politics, for example, it is because they are the product of the New Order's depoliticization strategy.

Third, in the last several years we have witnessed the rise of growing expectations and stronger demands for more open democracy, particularly among the growing middle class and the young urban population. These demands must be accommodated, otherwise there will be disappointment which may lead to resentment.

In other words, all political parties have to adopt new strategies to lure voters into their camp. Maintaining the anachronistic tactics of 15 or 20 years ago may not only be unproductive, it may well backfire.

We underline this point because one can easily get the impression that a certain political party is still living in the mind-set of the 1970s, with its officials practicing the old strategy of coercion and putting pressure on voters to vote for their party. In this information age, little can be concealed from the public and such wrongdoing will merely fuel resentment and animosity.

One should also keep in mind that as of late there are stronger indications that a crisis of confidence in the ruling elite prevails. Today, even high school students and farmers do not hesitate to vent their anger, whatever the triggering factor may be, in the presence of hundreds of police officers or soldiers. Negative as this may be, this fourth factor must be taken into consideration before one starts to exert pressure on voters.

The establishment of poll watchdogs is also an indication that a new political wind is blowing. Trying to curb these organizations will not only cause headaches but may create the notion among the public that there are things that certain officials want to conceal.

For all these reasons and for the sake of preserving social harmony -- not to mention principles -- we believe that it is in all of our interests to see a really free, fair, honest and peaceful general election next year.