The end of elite games in Indonesian politics

The end of elite games in Indonesian politics

James Van Zorge, Jakarta

If nothing else could be concluded from the first round of
Indonesia's presidential elections, it should be this: The old
game of elitist politics in deciding the presidential election is
officially over.

In the times of Soeharto, who would win the presidency was
preordained. Then we had Habibie, with a motley band of patrons
and crony politicians competing to become his successor, winning
the presidency was essentially a function of 700-odd men and
women making deals in smoke-filled rooms behind closed doors. It
was a private affair, not for public debate.

Now facing direct elections, the political elite should
realize that the "sport of kings" has become a sport for the
masses.

The key success factor in winning elections today is appealing
to the electorate, not money politics or horsetrading. If there
were any doubters to this new reality, the results of the first
round should have acted as a catalyst for a string of epiphanies
amongst the elite; without any political machinery behind him,
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity with Indonesians was
sufficient to place him squarely as the front-runner in the run-
up to round two in September.

Regardless, some of the elite still don't "get it". Akbar
Tandjung, chairman of Golkar, has been busy horsetrading with
leaders of Megawati's PDI-P. Ostensibly, in return for cabinet
posts being promised to Golkar politicians, Akbar is supposed to
turn on the Golkar machinery to move his party's voters for
supporting Megawati's candidacy. Strangely enough, Megawati seems
to have forgotten that the much-touted magic of the Golkar
machinery during round one turned out to be, for the most part, a
mirage.

Meanwhile, other members of the Golkar leadership have been
courting Susilo for a coalition, and losing candidates Amien Rais
and Wiranto have started to contemplate how they can leverage on
their loyalist base to build a coalition with one of the finalist
candidates. The possible permutations in this dance of coalition
partners seem endless, as does the degree of political self-
delusion.

Perhaps the most telling sign that the party elite does not
understand that the old rules don't apply any longer is the
statement by Akbar Tandjung after his announcing his coalition
with Megawati that "all the elements of Golkar in the regions, in
the provinces and in the villages are obliged to follow this
decision".

Contrary to Akbar's wishful thinking that he can decree how
voters should exercise their right to elect the president, most
Indonesians have already proven that they know what a democracy
means -- millionaires and street hawkers have equal rights to
vote, and are free to vote with their conscience.

For sure, most of the Golkar elite are not thinking about what
is in the better interest of the country and its citizenry.
When asked recently about Golkar's coalition with the incumbent,
a party leader said that "supporting Megawati would pave the way
for us to regain control over the presidency in the next general
election, as Megawati, if elected, would constitutionally be
barred from running again". That's fine for the party, perhaps,
but what about the voters, Golkar?

As further proof that the elite still does not fully
understand that this is a new game, some party heads are now
saying that the finalist candidates should announce their
cabinets before election day, hence enabling voters to better
assess the candidates and their intentions. On the contrary,
pre-election day cabinet appointments would only divert attention
away from the fact that voters are choosing their next president,
not a cabinet.

If a candidate's policy platform is clear and compelling, then
there should never be a need for a presidential hopeful to grasp
at names to win over the hearts and minds of the voters.

In the final analysis, politicians would be well-served to
remember that "ordinary people" could not care less about which
party elites and candidates are shaking whose hands.

What most Indonesians will be asking on election day is not
what the elite can do for each other, but what can they do for
them.

The writer is a partner of Van Zorge, Heffernan & Associates,
a political risk and government relations firm.