The election aftermath

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.