Too many parties weaken political leaders

Hanta Yuda AR ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 08/25/2008 11:15 AM  |  Opinion

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has approved 18 new political parties to contest the 2009 general elections. There will therefore be a total of 34 political parties contesting next year's elections, compared to only 24 in the 2004 elections. The effort to simplify the multiparty system has failed.

Some believe that a multiplicity of parties presents obstacles to the effectiveness of government. The combination of presidential and multiparty systems with many parties tends to generate political instability, making the President's position weaker. In a fragmented multi-party system, it is difficult for one party to form the basis for government.

If there is no single powerful party, the possibility of a deadlock between the legislative and executive branches of government is also greater (Scott Mainwaring, 1993). This thesis is also illustrated in the case of the combined presidential and multi-party system in the SBY-JK administration.

Interpellations have been frequently launched by the DPR (House of Representatives). The right of parliamentary questioning of the executive, combined with the threat of withdrawal of support have become the means for political parties to pressure the President.

The combination of presidential and multi-party systems comprising many parties presents a difficulty. It has been shown to make democracy unstable. Referring to the study of Juan Linz and Arturo Velenzuela (1994) in Latin America, the Presidential system, superimposed on a multi-party structure with many parties may undermine the process of strengthening democracy, as it tends to create conflicts between the president and parliament.

This thesis is strengthened by the argument of Scott Mainwaring and Matthew Soberg Shugart (1997) that this combination also tends to form a divided government, in which the President will have difficulties in getting enough political support in parliament. The experience of Latin American countries shows that the combination of presidential and multi-party systems comprising a multiplicity of parties has sometimes led to political failures and helped create unstable democracies.

The two-party system can actually be more flexible than a multiplicity of parties. The experience of some countries with two parties, alongside the presidential system, shows that it tends to produce a stable government, as in the United States. Two main parties alongside the parliamentary system also tends to produce stable government, as in the United Kingdom.

The development of a multiplicity of parties in Indonesia tends to be illustrative of divergence and fragility. This has been so since 1998. On many occasions political parties have split into smaller parties. If the members of the parties do not agree, they just form a new party.

The tendency of parties to fractionalize is related to weak ideology and weak membership. Undemocratic trends in the formation of political elites, alongside conflicting aspirations, often triggers the break-up of political parties, especially over selection of party leaders.

Arguments over leadership and succession often generate discontent about mechanisms and decision-making. This is reinforced by the tendency of the political elite to come from, or become part of, a political oligarchy and the personalization of leadership roles in party organizations.

Ideally, to maintain stability in a presidential system, the president should belong to the majority party, which is the party that is supported by the majority of seats in the parliament. This majority then strengthens the stability of the government and makes it easier for the President to get support from the parliament to launch political initiatives.

This operating majority is difficult for the President to mobilize when there are many parties, unless the President can pull together a coalition. In a presidential system combined with a multiparty system with many parties, a coalition becomes a necessity and weak coalitions can lead to weak government.

The fragility of coalitions can be caused by several factors. First, in a coalition, the parties' ideology or policy platform is not the main determining factor. Coalition-building relies more on balancing political interests.

Second, the composition of parties in a coalition tends to be dynamic (reflecting relative strengths and election results). The composition of the cabinet reflects the shape of the coalition that supports the government.

The presidential system ordained by the 1945 Constitution to be applied alongside the multi-party system tends to lead to political compromises. The nature and progress of the Yudhoyono-Kalla administration reflects these compromises.

There are five detectable characteristics or trends tending to lead to compromises when the presidential system works in the context of a multi-party system comprising many parties.

First, the underlying fragile coalition in the parliament. Second, the interventions and positions of the political parties combined with the President's accommodation of their interests in the course of cabinet formation. This tends to reduce the President's room for maneuver. Third, evolution of composition of the cabinet reflecting the shape of the coalition is difficult to avoid and leads to ministers having dual loyalties.

Fourth, the extent of influence of parliament upon the government tends to be exaggerated and can undermine the stability of government (or lead to ups and downs in the relations between the government and parliament). Finally all of this can lead to some disharmony in relations between the President and the Vice President.

The combination of a presidential and multi-party system with many parties will be complicated and produces an unstable democracy. This combination also tends to produce a minority president, with a divided government, where the President will find it difficult to get political support in the parliament.

The writer is a political analyst of The Indonesian Institute. He can be reached at hantayuda@yahoo.com

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