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Will rookies rock the 2019 elections?
Apparently, the new parties can take advantage of the bad image tainting their older counterparts; new parties do not carry such a burden as they have yet to taste power.
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A member of the Change Movement Party of Indonesia (Garuda), one of four political parties which will make their debut in the 2019 legislative election. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
T
he battle for legislative seats has begun, although the election will only take place in April next year. Each political party has established its own formal identity on which to capitalize to woo support from the electorate, which will number about 196.5 million.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has declared that 14 political parties would be eligible to contest the race, four of which — the Solidarity Party of Indonesia (PSI), Change Movement Party of Indonesia (Garuda), United Party of Indonesia (Perindo) and the Working Party (Partai Berkarya) — will make their debut. The frequently asked question is whether they would be able to pass the 4 percent parliamentary threshold that will allow them to join the House of Representatives.
Political parties are public entities and, therefore, their existence will be greatly determined by their ability to work and collaborate with the community as their voters. From the academic perspective, parties need to manage their self-image amid the competitive landscape they will encounter in the elections.
According to John van Mannen and Stephen Barley in their book Cultural Organization: Fragments of a Theory, parties as organizations should manage at least four domains, namely ecological context, differential interaction, collective understanding and personal action.
