Direct regional elections held in the country in the last three years revealed that political parties served only as vehicles for the rich to gain power, a discussion heard.
"It is scary to learn about this. I have a very bleak picture of the future of democracy in this country," Zulkieflimansyah from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) told the floor during a discussion held by the Commission for Indonesian Democracy (KID) here Tuesday night.
Direct elections for governors, regents and mayors were introduced following the 2004 presidential election. Alleged vote buying had become a cause for concern, he said.
"That's why I don't believe great leaders will come out of political parties," Zulkieflimansyah, who made an unsuccessful bid for governor of Banten last year, said.
Candidates are free to vote for the political party they want, and can easily switch to another party if their choice does not satisfy them, he said.
Quoting arguments from the book Super Capitalism, he said democracy had not worked in the country, as it had become a tool of the rich.
Eva Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) agreed, saying that only "the haves" could enter politics.
"This is a systemic problem in political parties," she said.
Sjamsuddin Harris of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences dismissed the fears expressed by Zulkieflimansyah, saying problematic regional elections were few.
"The number of problem-free elections is overwhelming. I am not that pessimistic," he said.
Rachman Tolleng, a senior political analyst, said politics was a calling and not a place to enrich oneself.
The talk was attended by representatives from seven political parties joining the KID's political discussion group, which started last June.
KID launched a book of excerpts of their discussions from August to December before the event. The group allows leaders of political parties to share their experiences.
Recalling one of his recent experiences, Zulkieflimansyah said he was once asked to perform an Islamic rite in Banten where he had to change his trousers for a sarong to take part.
"I was really astounded by their request. Just imagine, I was just doing such a simple thing," he said, "and there are a lot of things like this."
He said the experience proved that changing attitudes in the Islamic community was a challenge in itself.
