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