The election aftermath

With about 50 percent of the votes counted by Sunday afternoon, we can now probably get a clearer picture of the final result of the April 5 legislative election -- and also the direction and performance of the country's legislative bodies in the next five years. The preliminary result of the poll, for which nearly 148 million voters were registered, has also been able to provide us a better view of the landscape of the July 5 direct presidential election, for which coalitions among political parties are inevitable.

It is very likely that the nationalist political parties, President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party earlier led by former president Soeharto, will control the largest number of seats in the House of Representatives (DPR). Due to the poor record of the party, the PDI-P may not likely be able to retain the 33.7 percent of popular votes it won in 1999, while Golkar has a chance to surpass its 22.4 percent record five years ago.

The preliminary result shows that with the established parties in control, the condition of the House or the legislative bodies at the regional level will not change much. Features such as horse trading, abuse of power, corruption and over-zealous control of the government will possibly retain their strong mark in the House in the next five years.

One could indeed agree with observers who saw indications of a desire for change, as reflected in the surprising performance of the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). But with far fewer votes compared to the established parties so far, one is led to conclude that while people may want change, it is not drastic change they are hoping for.

Voters for the newer parties could be said to be disillusioned because the politicians who benefited from the 1999 polls largely turned a deaf ear to the people's aspirations once they won public support. This is one reason why the newly established Democratic Party and the newly reborn PKS achieved a phenomenal result in this legislative election. Votes for the Democratic Party have been attributed to the desire for a new leader, in this case the party's cofounder, former security minister Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The PKS has come this far not just because it is a Muslim- based party -- the country has some similar more established parties -- but because the party in the last five years has shown some results in carrying out its goal to create a clean, effective and strong government. The public impression is that its legislators at all levels have largely proved that so far they could resist the temptation of corruption, collusion and nepotism.

There is however some concern especially among non-Muslims about PKS's real commitment to pluralism, and whether the party will be able to create a sense of security among the minorities. We believe that in implementing its political platform PKS will take an inclusive attitude, protecting all the citizens of the nation.

As for the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) where each of the 32 provinces will be represented by four seats, only time will tell how this council will perform, as it is a totally new body.

The question now is whether the country can live up to the praise of international observers that the election, despite several shortcomings, proceeded peacefully.

In the July 5 presidential election the temptation for violence would be stronger as voters, for the first time, face individual candidates for the presidential and vice presidential seats, rather than the political parties. A runoff will be held on Sept. 20 in the event of the likelihood that no candidate wins a simple majority.

Regardless of ongoing negotiations to form coalitions among several political parties, there are strong indications that leaders of the political parties intend to run in the presidential election.

While it is natural for a democracy to have many candidates for its top posts, the high number of candidates would also create problems, because voters will be severely divided, and this could lead to political upheavals and violence.

While waiting for the final results of the legislative election, we call on the leaders of the political parties to act as statesmen in facing the presidential election and not just to satisfy their hunger and thirst for fame and power. It would be too costly for the nation if leaders only pursue their narrow interests.

Whatever the result of the legislative election, we believe that despite the lack of necessary information on the new system, people have tried to prepare themselves as best they can in electing their new leader. They proved their maturity in the recent election, and they are more than capable of repeating such wisdom.