Voting with their feet
While there is no reliable figure on how many Indonesians are planning to be away from the country on election day, the number must be alarmingly high for President B.J. Habibie to appeal for them to stay and not to squander their voting rights.
Previously, travel agencies and local and foreign airlines have reported heavy bookings for flights out of Jakarta starting from the middle of this month, coinciding not only with a long school holiday, but also with the start of the election campaign period. Most of these people have left their return tickets open, meaning that they might still be away on election day on June 7. One report from Singapore has suggested that hotel and apartment owners in the neighboring city-state are gearing up to accommodate an influx of Indonesians in the coming weeks.
Habibie is not wrong in reminding Indonesians, especially the affluent ones since they are the ones who are leaving in droves, to stay and take part in the election that will be crucial for the future of Indonesia, which is also their future. This is an election that, in many people's views, is too important for any one to miss. With 48 parties contesting the polls, every vote counts and could make a difference to the election outcome.
It is true that voter turnout in this election cannot be used as a measure of "success" as it was in past elections during the repressive Soeharto regime. But the rate of participation in what is billed as Indonesia's first real democratic election in over four decades is important nevertheless, not solely as a measure of people's confidence in the system, but also of their political awareness. In addition, a low turnout could also undermine the legitimacy of the election and of its results, including the government that will be formed out of it. Since legitimacy is at the root of the current crisis, then it is important that as many people as possible participate in this election.
This is why some government and election commission officials are still obsessed with numbers. But the current voter registration drive has netted over 70 percent of estimated eligible voters. This is a remarkable achievement considering that registration is not only voluntary, but is also conducted in a short period of time. Now, recent reports that many people are planning to leave the country have upset some government and election officials, including Habibie. Unfortunately, some of their reactions, such as calling those who leave the country unpatriotic, have been out of proportion.
Many people are leaving the country this month for two possible reasons. Fear for their safety is one. The bloody riots that rocked Jakarta in May 1998 are still fresh in people's minds, and the eruption of violence in other places in the archipelago these past few months are reasons enough for any one -- wealthy or otherwise -- to fear for their safety. With the targets of recent violent attacks no longer limited to one particular ethnic group, this fear is much more widespread than people realize. If the authorities themselves are concerned that the campaign period could get out of control and turned violent, it is reasonable for ordinary people to be concerned, too. And it is reasonable for people with the financial means to seek temporary safety abroad.
Another reason why people are leaving for abroad this month is because many are taking their family on holiday. The government is as culpable as anyone for encouraging this trend, for it was its idea in the first place to advance the holiday period by one month, rescheduling finals exams around the holiday. Since the reason cited for moving the holiday forward was concerns for children's safety, the government is guilty of spreading fear.
People who are leaving the country on the election day are voting with their feet. They are surrendering their voting rights in exchange for their safety. They are sending a message, not only on their own behalf but also on behalf of millions of others who would like to leave if they had the financial means: that they have little confidence in the government's ability to curtail violence, in guaranteeing their safety.
In any case, if the government is really concerned about people not using their voting rights, then it should arrange for these people to vote at Indonesia's embassies and consulates.
Rather than squandering time and resources to stop, attack or criticize people who are leaving the country, government and election officials should find ways to give them reasons to stay. They could certainly make it even more prohibitive for Indonesians to travel abroad, like by depreciating the rupiah again or hiking the fiskal (exit) tax. Alternatively, they could put an end to the violence once and for all, and make this country safe for every one to live again and to spend their holiday with their family.