Facing
violent protests from election losers
Kornelius Purba ;
Senior managing editor at The Jakarta Post
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JAKARTA
POST, 06 April 2014
A
Jakarta-based foreign journalist recently described his difficulties in
explaining to newspaper readers about the 12 political parties that are
participating in the April 9 legislative election. His editor asked him to
write an article explaining the unique characteristics of the election
contenders. He categorized them into two groups: Secular and Islamic parties.
“My
editor turned down my report because, according to him, the secular and
Islamic parties are very similar to each other,” he explained.
I urged
him to explain why the editor concluded that secular parties like the
Democratic Party and the Golkar Party are not significantly different to the
Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
“They
are all equally crazy in committing corruption,” the journalist laughed.
We do
not need to conduct a thorough study to find the truth in such a sarcastic
conclusion. It is a common perception in all levels of society that most
Indonesian legislators at city, provincial and national levels are lazy,
corrupt, irresponsible and greedy.
Civil
society organizations have worked hard to help voters by enlisting candidates
who have good track records although their names are almost unknown. Though
this is helpful for many people, it is not without problems, as in my own
case. I have a friend who I would like to represent me in the city council
because of his social work. However, I discounted his name because he
represented a party that was founded by a leader who has a horrifying track
record in human rights.
It is
not impossible that voter turnout will be low on Wednesday because many think
voting is just a waste of time and they are indifferent about the “fiesta of
democracy”.
I have
always told my three children to exercise their voting rights no matter how
pessimistic they are about their country. For me, one vote really matters. In
my view it is immoral for voters to complain about the government and the
state if they decline to use their privilege to vote.
The
decision of Megawati Soekarnoputri to nominate Jakarta Governor Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo as the candidate of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) in the July presidential election was a big boost for encouraging
people to vote. Jokowi is likely the only potential presidential candidate
who owes nothing to Soeharto’s regime.
So far
Jokowi is the strongest candidate in the July race. Many first-time or young
voters are eager to support the PDI-P on April 9 because they want their
favorite candidate be able to fulfill the requirements -- 25 percent of the
total vote or 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives -- to
contest as the party’s representative, without the obligation to form a
coalition with other political parties.
On
Wednesday evening, we will get enough of an indication about the winners of
the legislative election. The winners will celebrate their victory, and the
losers (individuals or organizations) will likely try to find scapegoats.
Learning from the experience of local elections, where losers often staged
noisy and even violent protests, it is very likely similar incidents will
occur again. They will blame cheating as the only reason for their failure.
However, the protests will likely be sporadic, because people will prefer to
keep their distance from the losers.
There is
still another potential source of disaster: The Constitutional Court. The
court lost its credibility following the arrest and trial of its former
chairman Akil Mochtar, who allegedly accepted billions of rupiah from winners
and losers of local elections. The court was once regarded as being among the
few state institutions, along with the Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK), that still have credibility in the eyes of the people.
The
court’s justices have the potential to abuse their power by enriching their
own families or helping their political connections. The probability of this
occurring is quite high.
The
General Elections Commission (KPU) faces pressure to prove that it is indeed
an independent institution. Temptation is very high among its commissioners
because they could accept money or government positions from individuals or
political parties if they helped to manipulate election results.
The
situation in Aceh is worrying too. Aceh is the only province with the
privilege of having its own local political parties. The local elites,
however, are facing horizontal conflicts. Unlike in the past, Acehnese people
cannot blame the central government if violence erupts after the election.
They must blame their own leaders for shooting or killing one another.
Jokowi
will likely be able to contest the presidential election without the
assistance of other parties. Many people are asking about his running mate
for the July race. One thing is sure; the founder of the Gerindra Party,
Prabowo Subianto, will not accept such a position. But let us wait until
after the legislative election to discuss the vice presidential candidate.
For the
fourth time since the nation forced Soeharto to end his iron-fist rule in May
1998, Indonesia will hold a legislative election. On Wednesday, Jakarta’s voters
will have the right -- in Indonesia voting is a right not an obligation,
though persuading other people not to use their constitutional right is a
crime -- to decide who will represent them in the city council, the House and
the arguably useless Regional Representatives Council (DPD).
Indonesian
people have proved to the world that they are as civilized as other people in
other democratic countries in adopting democratic principles. Our biggest
problem is the immature, selfish and greedy political elites who are never
prepared to accept their failures. The nation must be ready to face the
impact of protests from the election’s losers. ●
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