Triumph for democracy?
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.