The symbolic faces of our election campaign

The symbolic faces of our election campaign

Thomas Hidya Tjaya, Lecturer, Driyarkara School of Philosophy, Jakarta

Campaigns have become daily occurrences as part of the social
reality we live in. We often hear about campaigns for HIV/AIDS
awareness or for humanitarian and environmental causes. By
definition, a campaign is a series of planned activities with a
particular social, commercial or political aim. They are usually
meant to introduce new ideas or realities and bring them to
people's awareness.

Through these activities, campaigners generally ask for
support from people for their causes. This would suppose that the
causes of the campaigners or what they are fighting for are
relatively clear to prospective supporters. Otherwise, it would
be hard to get people's attention, not to mention their support.

Campaigns prior to a general election for political leaders,
too, aim at getting prospective voters to pay attention to the
candidates' vision and agenda. In these activities the
campaigners are supposed to provide information regarding their
party and its representatives, and more importantly, to show good
reasons why people should vote for this particular party or
candidate and not others. They should convince the voters that
the future of the country lies in the implementation of their
programs.

Since the beginning of the campaign period last week, we have
seen various signs and symbols of election contestants placed in
every corner of our streets: banners, stickers, posters,
pamphlets, flags, T-shirts, all featuring party symbols and
pictures of candidates.

They are everywhere and people enjoy the instant euphoria of
putting on or waving these symbols during their rallies. With the
striking colors in which most party symbols are made, most
Indonesian cities now suddenly look colorful. T-shirts featuring
party symbols are distributed freely to win voters' hearts.

While the existence of these symbols may purport to get
people's attention, support and, ultimately, their votes on
election day, I think we need to worry about what is really
missing in this way of running a campaign.

How many people know the programs of the election contestants,
either individual candidates or parties? Surveys and polls have
suggested a very low percentage of prospective voters know the
parties' agendas. Supporters seem to be drowning in championing
their parties through their symbols at the expense of clearly
articulated political programs and agendas for the reform of the
country.

The heavy emphasis placed on the symbols has been exacerbated
by campaign commercials that seek to win instant votes from
people. A lot of campaign ads, both in public places and in the
mass media, contain only an invitation to punch a particular
party symbol on the election ballot.

The ranking number of legislative candidates is printed large
so that it may quickly stick in the memory of prospective voters.
Whether or not the voters know the programs and aspirations of
the party or the candidate is deemed secondary. All this indeed
looks like a shortcut to getting votes on election day.

This way of running campaigns is quite misleading, for it
gives the impression that democratic principles consist only in
casting a vote. There is no question that voting for a particular
candidate is an expression of citizens' freedom to elect their
own leaders.

Nevertheless, casting a vote without knowing what the
candidate and the party he or she represents are up to would be
political suicide. No citizen should write a blank check to
unknown politicians.

Thus, we should see more substantial elements of democracy
embraced in this country. Campaigns should focus more on content,
namely, political programs and party agendas, rather on form,
namely, the symbols displayed everywhere. Those symbols are
supposed to summarize the content of the programs, not replace
it.

For instance, we should see more debates among the candidates
on TV. Let them discuss and bring to people's awareness the many
different issues that urgently need to be addressed in our
country, such as corruption, unemployment, poverty, education,
environment and health care. Let the viewers decide which
candidate has more convincing arguments and displays more
ingenuity and competence.

Of course, party candidates and their campaigners may give bad
speeches and empty promises to their viewers or listeners. People
usually call these kecap (soy sauce), which suggests both
(insubstantial) additive and lies. This has become part of the
ordeal that voters around the world have to deal with when it
comes to election campaigns.

Yet, there is no alternative if we really want to establish a
government elected by its own people. We just need to be cautious
and discern what the politicians promise.

In the meantime, the prevalence of symbols over political
programs in our election campaigns suggests to us at least two
things. First, many political parties and their leaders are
themselves not clear about their own political programs. They do
not have clear visions, or haven't really formulated them yet. Or
they do not know how to tell people about their programs since
their own credibility has been damaged by past conduct. That is
why they resort to symbols, hoping that people will not ask much
about what they will do when elected.

Second, talking about political programs for the country, or
more generally, speaking about the content of campaigns, requires
adequate knowledge about what this country really needs for its
reform and development. Likewise, public debates demands
rhetorical skills on the part of the candidates, which are
desperately lacking.

Moreover, such rational discourse would call for a better
educated audience. In short, we need to improve general education
in this country if we are to make progress in implementing the
democratic ideals.

There is certainly much to be done in this country, including
the way we run election campaigns. The ubiquity of party symbols
and candidates' pictures may belie our ignorance and present
inadequacy in implementing the democratic ideals. This manifestly
suggests the urgent need for political education in this country.