Voting for political parties

Voting for political parties

From TEMPO

Indonesia is facing a lot of problems now, among other
concerns, ongoing financial woes, the threat of national
disintegration (in Aceh and Papua), and terrorist acts.

Next year Indonesians will elect their representatives in the
People's Consultative Assembly and the House of Representatives
and also their new president. They are certainly hopeful that the
winning political party will be able to solve the problems that
the nation has been facing.

Unfortunately, some political parties -- that claim to
represent the workers and socialists -- such as the Popular
Democratic Party (PRD), and some opposition parties led by
National Front for Indonesian Labor Struggle (FNPBI), have
expressed their opposition to the government's policies on
solving economic problems and the problems in Aceh and Papua.

In fact, Acehnese reportedly support the government's
imposition of martial law in their province and the splitting of
Papua into more provinces, as the best solution to bridging gaps
in social welfare in these regions. The opposition that these
parties pose creates difficulties for Indonesia in the
international arena and has made our internal problems more
complicated.

These parties have considered the government's policies in
Aceh and Papua a violation of human rights, but have failed to
see that it is the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Free Papua
Organization (OPM) that have actually violated human rights by
killing and intimidating innocent people. I suspect that their
campaigns against the government are only a bid to gain popular
support. But, it also seems that the community will refrain from
supporting these parties.

Indonesians are longing for peace and security in their lives.
They will not support political parties that campaign to mobilize
the masses, as mass mobilization will only lead to a harder life.
Surely, the people will not vote for political parties that fail
to side with them.

BELLA CAHYANI

Jakarta