Thou shalt not betray voters

Thou shalt not betray voters

On Wednesday, our democratically elected People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR), our top legislature, meets to elect the fourth
president of the republic.

To date, it is the only second democratic legislative body we
have had. So looking deep into the corridor of our history, the
view is rather lightless.

The first democratic polls in 1955 -- and the only one this
country ever had until June this year -- failed to yield an
effective government. As Indonesians later moved very slowly in
their effort to formulate a new Constitution, president Sukarno
jumped into the scene to stop the process and introduced his
self-styled destructive "guided democracy".

Since then, Indonesians sacrificed a lot to regain what the
tyrant and his successor, Soeharto, stole from them. In June, as
they lined up to cast their vote in a fair poll, their cry for
reform was so loud. "Reformasi," they shouted.

Painfully, they realized that their country was on the brink
of disintegration and economic collapse. Their desire for change
was starkly obvious in all corners of the earth. They established
new political parties to channel their aspirations and to remove
the glamor of the well-established pro status quo groups. But the
people then forgot or did not care to demand the dismantling of
these groups.

Consequently, these parties jumped shamelessly onto the
bandwagon and joined the choir of reformasi. However, despite the
historic oblivion, the June elections ran quite peacefully.

This was not because the people had learned to love peace
above all other qualities, but because they were overly
optimistic about what was over the horizon.

Now the new era is getting closer. But many circles have
expressed regret at why some people should welcome it through
noisy street demonstrations. An official of one political group
said in a TV interview that it had always been a tradition for
his party supporters to conduct a show of force. If he had just
an iota of understanding of democracy, this figure would realize
that his party's supporters are badly in need of political
education. Once people elect representatives in a fair election,
they should give them the freedom to speak for them.

It is an ugly ritual here for one demonstration in favor of
one political candidate to be counteracted with another
demonstration promoting a different candidate. And when these
street games get out of control, the end result is not only
predictable but also detestable.

Another ill-favored facet of this competition is the use of a
religious symbol by a certain party, especially when religion has
nothing to do with politics whatsoever. On many occasions a
certain group always acts as though it is the sole claimant to a
particular religion.

Although there are active and reactive groups in the current
competition, the cause is believed to be in the amplifying,
increasingly growing number of reports about money politics in an
obscene effort to buy votes for the support of a certain
presidential candidate. Demonstrators, on the other hand, seem to
be warning anyone tempted by the offer that they will personally
experience the people's wrath.

In politics there is no business as deceitful as the business
of bribery. Although every voter knows that no Assembly member is
a saint, each is at least expected to refrain from turning into a
cheap political animal. Every member of the Assembly should
remember that they vowed to represent the people and fight for
their aspirations and should adopt as the Eleventh Commandment
the tenet "thou shalt not betray thy constituents". Although none
of the three presidential aspirants is perfect, the
representatives should chose one of them in line with their
voters' aspirations.

In this era of democracy, no Indonesian wants to hear one day
that hypocrites, called Assemblymen, put the crown on the head of
a thief, who happens to be the president.