The parallel between talent shows and politics
Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta
Almost no one here, young and old, boys and girls, even preschool children, has not seen the popular television program Akademi Fantasi Indosiar (AFI), which is based on Mexican La Academia, where audience members vote for their favorite singer.
Another private channel, RCTI, broadcasts a similar program, Indonesian Idol. Everyone watching the final of the first season of AFI was confident that Mawar, a talented singer from Bandung, would win because she was considered by many to have a high- powered, diva-esque voice.
The final, however, saw Ferry, a contestant from Medan, receive the most votes. The public voted for him not because he had as good a voice as Mawar, but more likely because he was so humble and rather good looking. That he is the son of a pedicab driver might have been an additional factor that influenced people to vote for him.
As we can see, this competition was not totally about talent. There was a lot more to it. It was about how individual preferences aggregate a nationwide decision. It is also about how society, especially the younger members, make their choices. Thus, it is much like democratic politics.
One sees parallels between AFI and politics. An AFI-type contest will come to politics next month when the five presidential contestants compete for the ultimate seat of power: Merdeka Palace.
Just like the AFI contestants who before performing do a little bit of campaigning to garner support, all of the presidential candidates will have to convince the crowds of their national agendas during a month-long campaign. It is through this process that the weaknesses and strengths of each presidential candidates will be exposed.
What we will see in this unprecedented direct presidential election, as in AFI, is not only the extent to which the candidates will go to garner support, but also how the public will view their backgrounds, their way of presenting ideas, etc. What really matters for them is not to be detached from the emotional bond with their supporters. This is to suggest that in politics, sheer ability or popularity are never enough, nor are political and economic programs.
It is assumed all of the presidential candidates will maximize the use of their respective political machineries. Most supporters of the candidates believe their machinery will do the job to win the presidency.
The AFI contestants don't have any machinery to win votes, but they did go through series of training sessions to get the best out of their performances. With the help of their machinery, managed by the so-called campaign strategy experts, all of the presidential candidates will do their utmost to attract votes.
Since this is going to be a direct election that involves certain political truisms, in the end it is the public vote that really counts and not the political machinery, however reliable and sophisticated the machinery may be.
The machinery will have its limits and only provide the candidates with certain political guidelines when they face the public, meaning that they will be on their own afterward. In other words, how many votes the candidates get will depend on their ability to capitalize on whatever tactics they have to connect with the voters.
On might see, for example, the case of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has scored high in opinion polls. A public survey here in recent months ranked him as the number one contender. If he happens to win enough votes to reach the final round of the election, it will not be solely because of his political platform or his political machinery, but it might be due to his posture, his good looks or his decision to quit the Cabinet after a serious rift with President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her husband, who chided him publicly for acting like a child. Thus, public sympathy for certain candidates will be shaped by nonpolitical factors.
With the presidential election less than a month away, the second season of AFI is providing the public with more political lessons on how to explore and expose real democracy. President Megawati, as if she was hosting the contest, has reminded the public to vote according to their conscience (The Jakarta Post, May 31).
She must be aware of the fact that the exercise of democracy cannot be detached totally from the inner feelings of the voters. By reminding the public of this, she is actually attempting to connect with her voters and remind them of what she thinks has been her greatest achievements or the fact that she is former president Sukarno's daughter.
The ultimate power trip to Merdeka Palace will not be an easy one for the presidential candidates. The current campaign will provide the public with the opportunity to assess how and what the candidates have to say about themselves as well as about the future of the country.
All of the candidates know at the outset that the "political equipment" they have at their disposal will be insignificant once they are in public. That is to suggest that the road to the top will be determined solely by the inner feeling of the voters.
The writer (bandoro@csis.or.id) is the editor of The Indonesian Quarterly at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a lecturer in the International Relations Postgraduate Studies Program at the University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Science.