Voting with their feet

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.