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.