Election
fiesta of democracy a day at the presidential race
Endy M Bayuni ;
Senior editor of The Jakarta Post
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JAKARTA
POST, 13 Juli 2014
Wednesday’s
presidential election lived up to the government’s billing of all polls as a
“fiesta of democracy”. The day went peacefully although not necessarily free
from fraud, and the mood across the nation was one of a truly festive nature.
Credit
goes to the people that the day went without any report of violence,
reaffirming Indonesia’s position as the third-largest democracy in the world.
Those
who wanted to exercise their democratic rights were able to proceed without a
hitch. And those who decided not to vote may have already checked themselves
into hotels in Singapore or Bali.
The
election may have ended inconclusively after both candidates, Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo and Prabowo Subianto, claimed they were the real victors. There were
moments of tension, particularly between diehard supporters, but these were
largely confined to a war of harsh words conducted mostly through television
or social media.
At
the grassroots level, the festive mood prevailed across the country. Only the
fact that the election fell during the month of Ramadhan prevented the day
from turning into a nationwide community picnic.
In
the April legislative election, it was not uncommon for neighbors to organize
potlucks. With plenty of food and drink to go around, they waited until the
completion of vote tallying and cheered each time their party or candidate
received a vote.
This
time around, there was no food or drink in predominantly Muslim areas, but
people still hung around nevertheless. There was no better time to kill the
long hours waiting for the breaking of the fast at sunset to chat with your
neighbors.
For
many, election days are a rare chance to reconnect with neighbors, especially
in busy Jakarta, where the sense of community has practically disappeared.
The neighborly gatherings inevitably lead to the exchange of gossip, giving
you a glimpse into the ideological leanings of people in your own community.
Here
is a conversation that took place among a group of women gathered outside a
polling station in South Jakarta on Wednesday.
“Have
you voted yet? Show me your pinky,” asked one to another who seemed to be
greeting everyone at the gate.
“No.
I am still confused. I am still asking around. I’ll go with the winner,” came
the response. Her husband apparently ran the polling station.
“Go
with number one. He’s handsome.”
“No.
Go with number two. He is a much nicer person.”
Soon
the conversation moved to questions about children or grandchildren as well
as the rising prices of food. It wasn’t clear how she voted in the end, but
the number two candidate took this largely middle-class neighborhood by a
large margin.
One
foreign observer who visited several polling stations in Jakarta on Wednesday
described the election as truly a community affair, noting that volunteers
from within each neighborhood helped administer the votes and the tabulating.
In
India, the world’s largest democracy, elections were administered by
full-time officers. No wonder it takes them weeks to complete the elections
as they move from one state to another. India could learn a thing or two from
Indonesia — that by getting the community involved in running the polling
stations, a considerable amount of time and money could be saved.
The
term “fiesta of democracy” was first coined during the Soeharto years,
although for the three decades that he ruled this country, there was nothing
democratic about the elections that his regime ran.
In
his era of “floating mass” politics, the fiesta was reflected by the
mobilization of people to attend campaign rallies, enjoy dangdut music shows and
listen to boring speeches. The Golkar Party, Soeharto’s election machinery,
won every single election by a huge margin.
Today,
“fiesta of democracy” has taken on the real meaning of both words. The
elections in 1999, 2004, 2009 and this year have all lived up to the
democratic billings, to the point that no one could predict the outcome. The
same goes for the hundreds of local elections held to elect governors, mayors
and regency heads.
This
year’s presidential election admittedly has polarized the nation almost down
to the middle. There are stories of family feuds, marriages or couples
breaking up over disagreements over which candidate to vote for.
On
social media, where a lot of the campaign is being waged by both sides, there
are stories of people “unfriending” their Facebook friends and “unfollowing”
others on Twitter. The social media, an almost unregulated medium in spite of
the 2008 Cyber Law, see some of the worst aspects of free-for-all,
anything-goes, electioneering. But whether they have a real impact on voters’
decision is questionable.
Kudos
to the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) for keeping their pledge of
neutrality.
Police
were out on the streets in full force on Wednesday night to ensure peace and
order as both camps went out to celebrate their election victory. They
weren’t that wrong. It was a night to celebrate the victory of the people.
The
show of force by the TNI on the eve of election day, including the low-flying
jetfighters over Jakarta, presumably was intended to send clear signals that
the TNI would remain neutral but would not tolerate any violence.
The
threats of a violent breakout remains, but much depends on the two
presidential candidates. Let’s hope common sense prevails and that they are
not going to jeopardize their own people and democracy only to fulfill their
power ambitions.
Let’s
not spoil the party. ●
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