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Editorial: Does it need to be that long?

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has fired the starting gun, signaling the commencement of a nine-month-long campaign before the legislative elections next April

The Jakarta Post
Mon, July 14, 2008

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Editorial: Does it need to be that long?

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has fired the starting gun, signaling the commencement of a nine-month-long campaign before the legislative elections next April.

The campaign period, which lasts from this Saturday until April 5 next year, is divided into two stages. The first stage, from July 12 to March 17, is dedicated to indoor rallies; while the second, from March 18 to April 5, allows outdoor rallies.

The defining -- and noble -- idea behind such a long election campaign is to give all the 34 political parties involved more-than-adequate time to offer programs and election promises aimed at luring Indonesia's eligible voters -- some 174 million of them.

However, the question remains whether this nation really needs such a long campaign period.

A nine-month campaign -- much longer than the three-week period allocated in the 2004 general elections -- is indeed fruitful for the competing political parties not only for introducing their programs, profiles of legislative candidates and election promises, but as a means of exploring voters' behavior. This is especially true for the 18 parties that have recently joined the club of eligible election participants.

A long election campaign will therefore give the political parties the opportunity to evaluate their progress and forecast election results.

Psychologically, a long campaign will help reduce tension among supporters, as there will be plenty of time to arrange campaign sessions and sites so as to avoid encounters between supporters of different candidates -- a frequent cause of physical confrontation, especially during outdoor rallies.

However, an election campaign of this length is not free of flaws and potential detriment.

For example, it will fatigue voters, particularly those involved in election rallies as party supporters. When election day rolls around, voters will have spent themselves in the campaign.

A long campaign might also be counterproductive if voters, tired of hearing about the programs and promises offered by competing political parties, stay away from the polls on election day.

With respect to cost-effectiveness, a lengthy campaign will only further burden the already insecure state budget as election expenditures pile up.

The government will have to provide more subsidies to the 34 political parties participating in next year's election -- many more than it gave to the 24 political parties competing in the 2004 elections, which relied on a shorter campaign period. It will also have to allocate more funds for election security, which will deplete the amount that can be used to cover damage to state property incurred during the campaign.

The problem is that the election contestants approved such a lengthy campaign and the government -- the election organizer -- finds it nearly impossible to repeal their decision.

The government, to be sure, has given its approval as well. We, the general public, can assume this was not done without thorough calculation, including an exhaustive analysis of the financial consequences.

The political parties competing in next year's election must capitalize on such a long campaign period and attract voters through brilliant program proposals and feasible election promises. Once elected, legislative candidates have a moral obligation to meet these promises. In the end, interesting and reasonable programs will draw voters to the polls on election day.

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