The significance of the Indonesian election
The significance of the Indonesian election
Sin Chew Daily, Asia News Network, Selangor, Malaysia
Indonesians have just voted for a president for the first time
in the country's history. They have voted directly from five
pairs of candidates to assume the country's presidency and vice
presidency.
While vote counting is still in progress, no candidate has so
far managed to bag more than 50 percent of votes, meaning
Indonesians are heading for another run-off in September.
Former political and security affairs minister Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono is leading with 34 percent of votes, as anticipated by
analysts. Incumbent Megawati Soekarnoputri is second with 27
percent while former general Wiranto contesting on a Golkar
ticket is third with 23 percent.
If the first round of election is unable to produce a
president and vice president, a run-off between top two vote-
getters will take place on September 20.
From the experiences in many countries and regions, high
spoilt vote ratios are always a source of controversy.
In the March presidential election in Taiwan, the chaos and
violence ensuing were said to be attributed to the unperceivably
large number of spoilt votes, among others.
If that could happen to a generally more matured democracy and
better educated populace in Taiwan, what about Indonesia, which
has a relatively low standard of education and much more
intriguing racial and religious relationships?
Indonesia is not only the world's fourth most populous nation,
it is also an immense archipelago of well over 10,000 islands.
The country spreads far and wide and boasts more than half a
million polling stations.
This, coupled with hand count of votes, may make it hard for
full results to be released by the July 26 deadline. The
situation can complicate further if recount is seen as necessary
when the votes of Megawati and Wiranto are too close to be
comfortable.
As such, before the run-off, factors of instability and
uncertainty can be all too real.
Whether the republic is able to shrug off the chaos following
the ouster of Soeharto's autocratic regime six years back will
very much depend on the self-restraint on the part of opposing
forces as well as their honoring of democracy.
If Indonesians lack the maturity and patience, the country
will fall apart again, an Indonesian daily has warned.
As a matter of fact, it is laudable, from the perspective of
democracy, that a densely populated third world country like
Indonesia can hold such a direct presidential election despite
the challenges.
Indonesia is also the first country in ASEAN to hold such an
election. Consequently, notwithstanding who wins the election,
the country's firm position on democracy should be highly
applauded by the international community.
Although it is inevitable to pay a heavy price for democracy
-- hundreds of precious lives have been lost in each of India's
elections, for instance -- we remain positive that each of these
painful experiences will bring us to realize the cruelty of
violence and bloody clashes. We will learn about the importance
of peace and march more confidently towards democracy. It is the
same thing for Indonesia.
The first ever presidential election in Indonesia is not only
highly significant for the country's democratic system, but has
also set a valuable example for other regional countries still
unable to offer true freedom and democracy to their citizens
through democratic channels.