What is a successful election?

What is a successful election?

By Aleksius Jemadu

BANDUNG (JP): Government officials often invite the people to
make the election a success. But rarely do they explain exactly
what they mean by a successful election. Does it mean a smooth
and secure process? Or is it the achievement of the target of the
dominant party?

Democracy requires an institutionalized mechanism to ensure
the consent of the people in the formation of legitimate
political power. People will vote for a political party which
they believe is reliable and trustworthy to promote their
interests in the political system.

The New Order government has regularly conducted general
elections and has managed to gain the consent of the people to
renew its power. Indeed, since the establishment of the New Order
government there has never been any other political group which
managed to challenge its supremacy. Some observers even argued
the New Order government won the previous elections without any
major obstacles.

There is a need to develop a theoretical framework within
which a meaningful reflection on the current election might be
creatively conducted.

Regular elections is one indication of a workable democracy.
Whether or not the elections can be considered a celebration of
democracy should be empirically proven. We have to know which
conditions or qualifications have to be fulfilled before we can
call this election a "festival of democracy". In authoritarian
states, elections can be no less than a political drama and
manipulated for the perpetuation of the interests of the dominant
groups in society.

The first criteria is the legitimacy of the political parties
or the election contenders. The legitimacy of a political party
can be viewed from two perspectives. A political party can be
said to have a formal legitimacy if its existence is acknowledged
by the prevailing government election laws. In many developing
societies, such laws are established by the government to control
and organize people's participation in politics so that it
doesn't jeopardize national unity and political stability.

In modern democracies, a political party is supposed to have a
substantial legitimacy. This has a lot to do with the existing
aspirations of the people and is important as it emphasizes the
recognition of the people.

A political party with substantial legitimacy can survive even
in political turbulence because the people will fight to defend
its existence. If the election contenders do not represent the
interests of the people, then the election cannot be said to be a
celebration of democracy.

Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian
Democratic Party (PDI) should feel challenged by the question of
their respective substantial legitimacy. We can predict that the
most legitimate party will win the election. Conversely, the most
illegitimate party will get less support from the voters.

The enthusiasm of the people in voting in the election is also
an important factor in determining the quality of the election.
We have to distinguish between mobilized and genuine
participation in the election.

In the former category, people go to the ballot box because
they are mobilized to do so. Political coercion or psychological
warfare are normally used in authoritarian states to pressure the
people to vote. In such a case, the people do not vote of their
own will. In the second category, the people take part in the
election to articulate their political aspirations through the
political party they vote for. They believe the election is worth
undertaking and the contenders are legitimate enough to represent
their interests.

In modern democracies, the number of people voting in the
election may be far less than the number of people eligible to
vote. Yet their participation in the election cannot be
questioned because they vote out of their well-informed political
conscience.

The election procedure can also be an important determinant of
the voting process.

Government regulations stipulate the election should be
conducted with full respect for the election principles which
require that the election should be direct, general, free, and
confidential.

PPP and PDI once suggested that the election should also be
conducted in a fair and honest manner but the government rejected
such a proposal. Does this mean the previous elections were not
just and honest in the eyes of the two political parties?

Hopefully not. It is hoped this election will be of a better
quality as an important instrument for a democratic society.

The role of the government as a neutral referee on election
day can be very critical. Unfortunately, government officials who
are assigned to administrate the election process, including the
counting of votes, are at the same time supporters of the
dominant Golkar.

But who can guarantee the neutrality of these officials? Since
most of these officials are serving at the village level they are
bound to put loyalty to their superiors above anything else,
including their position as neutral administrators. This is why
it is absolutely necessary to have an Election Supervision
Committee to ensure the validity of the counting of votes.

It is hoped the winning party in this election is the one
which has the people's consent. In this sense, people would
support a political party on the basis of their well-informed
conscience. This is the most important criteria in assessing the
success of the election.

The election can be said to be successful if the principles of
honesty and justice are practiced, especially by the
administrators of the polls.

The failure of the ruling party in achieving its target in the
election cannot be likened to the failure of the election as a
whole.

Unfortunately, in many developing countries the ruling elite
can easily manipulate the result of the election since public
control is so weak.

We must never forget that the main purpose of the election is
not to perpetuate any political establishment but to establish
and renew political power on the basis of people's consent.

Otherwise, the election would be a mere foolish political
theater.

The writer is a lecturer in the Faculty of Social and
Political Sciences at the Parahyangan Catholic University,
Bandung.

Window A: It is hoped the winning party in this election is the
one which has the people's consent. In this sense, people would
support a political party on the basis of their well-informed
conscience.

Window B: A political party with substantial legitimacy can
survive even in political turbulence because the people will
fight to defend its existence.