When politicians are still trapped by old way of thinking

When politicians are still trapped by old way of thinking

Imam Cahyono, Jakarta

In politics there is no such thing as an everlasting enemy.
This was proven in the declaration of the National Coalition on
Aug. 19. A number of political parties that competed against each
other in the April 5 legislative election have joined hands to
form the coalition, which is a combination of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar Party, the United
Development Party (PPP) and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS).

The coalition has several main points of cooperation:
1. Ensuring victory for Megawati Soekarnoputri and Hasyim Muzadi
in the presidential runoff.
2. Establishing a strong, clean and effective government based on
professionalism and collectivity.
3. Improving the effectiveness and role of legislative bodies in
fighting for people's aspirations.
4. Improving the partnership between executive and legislative
bodies across the country.
5. Improving the role of political parties within a more
democratic atmosphere.

Certainly, the main goal of this coalition is to support
Megawati and Hasyim against Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf
Kalla in the Sept. 20 runoff. This support is indeed encouraging
to Megawati, the incumbent President and the leader of the PDI-P.
The founders of the National Coalition say theirs is a permanent
coalition to build a strong government and a strong House of
Representatives. If Megawati loses the election, they say they
will form the opposition in the House.

Mathematically, this coalition could control a large number of
votes in the House. The coalition would create an unassailable
political block, with 307 seats in the 550-member House, made up
of 127 seats from Golkar, 109 from PDI-P, 58 from PPP and 13 from
the PKS. On paper, this coalition should win the runoff.

But this coalition is not without problems. First, the
formation of the coalition was not based on a shared platform,
but rather the desire of all the participants to attain power.
The formation of this coalition is a valid political move. It can
be categorized as a temporary coalition with one specific issue,
the formation of a new government under the leadership of
President Megawati and Vice President Hasyim.

Consequently, the National Coalition could spell an end to
reform, regardless of who wins the Sept. 20 runoff. If elected,
Megawati would have to accommodate the many different political
interests of the parties that supported her, making it almost
impossible for her to introduce breakthrough reforms. On the
other hand, if Susilo is elected, he would have to spend much of
his energy establishing good relations with members of the House.
Both of these situations would increase political tension and
could cause conflict in the country.

The declaration of the National Coalition represented the
aspirations of the political elite, not the aspirations of
regular party members. The National Coalition showed that party
membership has its roots at the top, not in the rank and file.
This can create a huge gap between the decisions taken by the
party elite and the aspirations of its members.

In a democratic atmosphere, the principle of sovereignty
guarantees the people's aspirations will be respected. Political
parties should be founded by people who feel they have common
aspirations and strive to ensure these aspirations become
government policy. Hence, the political elite must listen to the
wishes of their constituents rather than expressing their own
personal interests. Unfortunately, for more than three decades
the old political parties have only been used to mobilizing the
elite, not serving to channel grassroot aspirations.

As a result, there is a large possibility a party's decisions
at the central level will not be followed at the grassroots
level. It is possible that lower-level members could regard this
as a lack of consistency as regards the party's elite. Decisions
made at the central level will not be obeyed if it is not in line
with the aspirations of the grassroots.

In addition, direct elections also pave the way for the
grassroots to part ways with the elite, as was seen in the first
round of the presidential election. The voters in a direct
election will take the personalities of the candidates into
account, not agreements between party leaders. The people have
their own wishes as regards who to choose. Parties can no longer
control grassroots supporters in the electoral system.

The abuse of power is related to the neutrality of state
officials. Political campaigning becomes a problem if the
bureaucrats are mobilized, or if the police become involved. This
can happen if state officials support one of the candidates, as
happened in the case of the Banyumas Police VCD. State officials
by law must remain neutral. The act of mobilizing supporters
contradicts the main aim of democracy, which is to uphold the
people's sovereignty.

All of these considerations indicate the National Coalition
has fallen into the trap of thinking in the old way, as during
Soeharto's New Order regime. The problem with the National
Coalition is not just with who formed it, who is in it or whether
it actually exists at the grassroots level. This coalition's most
crucial problem is that its theme of mobilizing support still
reflects the old way of thinking.

The formalities of a democratic system are still used without
any real substance. The general election was held to legitimize
the existing power in the eyes of the world, and was not a
genuine contest to give people the opportunity to express their
real hopes. This paradigm contradicts efforts to build a true
democratic system.

Democracy, as philosopher John Dewey said, is not a form of
government, but a way of life. What is sacred in democracy is not
mechanisms, but value. And the main aim of democracy is not
power, but the people's sovereignty.

The writer is a researcher at the Muhammadiyah Institute for
Grassroots Empowerment and an activist at the Youth Muhammadiyah
for Intellectuals Network. He can be reached at
icahyo17@yahoo.com