Indonesians rooting for Democrats

Tony Hotland , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 02/08/2008 12:28 PM | Headlines

Hundreds of Indonesians were briefly Americans here Wednesday when they cast their vote in a mock "Super Tuesday" election with the Democratic Party snatching a landslide win over the Republicans.

The buzz was heavy at the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron Hume's residence, to the delight of academics, activists, college students and journalists as observers shared their two cents on the future of U.S.-Indonesia relations under a Republican or Democrat administration.

The results gave the Democrats a whole lot of love, with the party garnering 316 out of 354 votes, with the U.S.-led war in Iraq and ongoing fighting in the Middle East the main motivators behind most voters.

Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, led the pack with 221 votes followed by Hillary Clinton with 95.

Helen, a 21-year-old student, said the Bush administration had unquestionably devastated the U.S.'s image and a way to reverse the situation was to let the Democrats run the office.

Lawmaker Abdillah Toha, who deals with foreign affairs, said he believed the Democrats would support world stability rather than the use of military force.

"In the end, it will benefit Indonesia. World stability, for instance, will maintain (Middle East-influenced) oil prices and help stabilize our (oil-dependent) economy," the National Mandate Party (PAN) member said.

Chair of Democrats Abroad Indonesia Arian Ardie concurred, saying the Democrats would opt for peaceful dialog and focus U.S. bilateral assistance on social, not security, issues.

William Tuchrello, the Library of Congress field director for Southeast Asia and East Timor, said it was difficult to predict whose administration would be more advantageous for Indonesia.

While the Republicans are very concerned about security, he said the Democrats were "big on social issues and human rights."

"It depends on how Jakarta adjusts to each issue to its own objectives," Tuchrello said.

The Bush administration considers Indonesia a key partner in the war against terrorism, reviving full military cooperation after a six-year embargo in 2006.

Avid Republican Roderick M. Hills, the founder and chairman of the Hills Program on Governance at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, defended his party's policies and warned of the Democrat's stance against free trade, which he believed was not helpful for a developing nation like Indonesia.

"The people who will vote for (Republican front-runner) John McCain won't be the same ones who voted for (President) George Bush in 2004. McCain also is very knowledgeable about Asia and he, as the Republicans in general, favors free trade," he said.

Indonesia was the first voting place abroad for the Democrats on "Super Tuesday" -- in which a total of 24 U.S. states held primaries for either or both parties -- and handed Obama 75 percent of the total vote over Clinton.

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