Triumph for democracy?

While we wait for more definitive results from the general election, we can congratulate ourselves for the peaceful and orderly manner in which we carried out the ballot and vote counting on Monday. Irrespective of which party emerges victorious, something we should learn late on Wednesday, we can safely declare that these elections have been a triumph for the Indonesian people and democracy.

Contrary to our fears, which were fueled by speculation and doomsaying, the elections on Monday proceeded without violence. The entire process was smooth, particularly considering the short time the General Elections Commission was given to prepare for the polls. There were a few glitches on Monday, but these were mostly technical and had to do with logistical problems. These small problems did not disrupt the overall electoral process or discourage people from exercising their right to vote.

The peaceful and smooth elections defied the popular theory put forward by analysts and officials that Indonesians were not ready for full-blown multiparty democracy, which they claimed could undermine national stability. This was the pretext used by the New Order regime and its pillars, including Golkar and the military, to deprive people their right to choose their leaders.

Skepticism that Indonesia was not ready for true democracy was prevalent among Indonesians and foreigners before Monday's polls. The unrest which erupted across Indonesia over the past year created the image of a barbaric nation. At home, many of us even began to believe that violence was so ingrained in us we could not resolve our differences without resorting to brutality. Such thinking strengthened and sustained people's dependence on the military to resolve all of society's problems.

The hordes of foreign journalists who covered Monday's elections arrived with the anticipation that Indonesia would become either one of the world's largest democracies or one of the world's most violent countries. They would be forgiven for believing the second course was the most likely, particularly if they covered the bloody riots in May 1998, the clashes between students and soldiers in Jakarta in November 1998 and the atrocities in East Timor and Aceh.

Monday's elections and the preceding campaign not only surprised foreigners but also Indonesians, who were amazed to learn they are quiet adept at exercising democracy even though they have not had that privilege for over four decades. For many Indonesians, their participation in the elections went beyond merely voting. Many stayed on afterward to watch the ballot count, making sure the process was done fairly. However, it remains to be seen whether our political elite are as eager as the people they are supposed to represent to embrace democracy.

While peace and order are crucial in ensuring the success of any election, they are by no means the only criteria for success. Before we proclaim these elections a triumph, we must first determine whether they have truly been free and fair.

There have been some reports of last minute attempts at vote- buying and intimidation before the polling stations opened on Monday, but these incidents were sporadic.

These elections saw the deployment of hundreds of thousands of poll observers, both locals and foreigners, to monitor the way the elections were conducted. We must wait for their assessment of whether the elections, including the counting and tabulation of the votes, lived up to the promise of being free and fair. So far, comments from these observers, including those of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, have been encouraging.

It would be a triumph for the people of Indonesia and democracy if the polls were free and fair. However, let us postpone the celebration, if there is to be one, until we have more definitive results from the elections. It would be a hollow victory and a terrible irony if our exercise in democracy failed to produce the very goal of the whole process: Voting out the status quo and putting a proreform government in its place.