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The return of election fever
As the rest of the world is bracing for the swine flu pandemic, Indonesia is starting to feel a kind of fever not from the pig virus but from the rising heat in the run up to the July 8 presidential election
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As the rest of the world is bracing for the swine flu pandemic, Indonesia is starting to feel a kind of fever not from the pig virus but from the rising heat in the run up to the July 8 presidential election.
This week saw the election campaign kicking off all over again for the next seven weeks following the confirmation of three pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates.
Unlike the run-up to the April parliamentary elections, when we had 44 political parties and close to one million candidates contesting seats in the national and regional legislatures, this time around the choices are smaller and simpler. But expect this to be tenser. We are, after all, talking about the number one and two top jobs of the country.
Officially, the campaign permitted by the General Elections Commission (KPU) has not begun, but all six candidates are already stumping the country. Since their nominations became formal on May 9, every move and every sentence they make are duly recorded and reported by the hordes of journalists that are following them. Naturally, the candidates are making the most of the situation without violating the rules that forbids campaigning before the KPU-approved period.
Every single public appearance is exploited to maximize publicity. All three pairs were seen in their blue bathrobes before the medical checkup at the Army hospital in Jakarta. First, it was the pairs of Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto and Megawati Soekarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto on Sunday. On Monday, it was Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono’s turn.
Just a week or two ago, there was the feeling that the presidential election was a foregone conclusion with the incumbent President Yudhoyono so far ahead in all surveys. He seemed so unassailable that one would have thought why bother with the election at all. There were even signs that his challengers were ready to throw in the towel. To the credit of Kalla, the estranged Vice President of Yudhoyono, and Megawati, the former president whom Yudhoyono beat in 2004, both decided to take a shot at the election against all odds.
What the polls failed to capture is how voters feel about the presidential candidates and their choice of running mates and coalition partners. The polls only showed the ranking of the most popular public figures for president. Their decisions on running mates and coalition partners could change the way people vote in July one way or the other. This is probably why Kalla and Megawati ignored the polls and took the plunge. In politics, seven weeks could look like a lifetime when you are leading, and the tables could turn against the favorites.
All six candidates have passed the health tests. There were no surprises either to the wealth that they have publicly declared to the KPU.
The Yudhoyono-Boediono and Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto pairs have been the most active this week, each appearing before the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to explain their economic vision and policies. They have also been active in making TV appearances, including political talk shows.
Megawati and Prabowo, meanwhile, have been busy preparing for the official declaration of their nominations, planned this Sunday at the massive Bantar Gebang garbage dump just outside Jakarta. The other pairs made theirs before the official nomination at KPU, picking historic sites as their venues.
A recurrent theme in this election would be how close the candidates are to the people, and Bantar Gebang, which is home to thousands of people who earn their living scavenging the mountain of trash, is probably as close to the people on the lowest rung of the economic ladder one could get.
Each pair has also come up with a catchy and clever (if not twisted) slogan, a marketing gimmick whose real value in elections is dubious. We have SBY-BerBudi (budi meaning ethical but derived from the first half of the running mate’s name), JK-Win (Win is a bastardization of Wiranto) and Mega-Pro (again, bastardization of Prabowo). Marketers may say who cares about being linguistically correct. But voters could equally say who cares about catchy slogans. At the end of the day, voters assess candidates based on their merits, track records, and characters.
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Our preoccupation with the domestic political agenda should not lead us to forget what is happening around the world, and particularly in our region. India, the world’s largest democracy ahead of the United States and Indonesia, has just completed its month-long election and has already produced a winner, with the Congress party retaining enough of a majority for the right to form the next government.
India is showing that a large nation can have democratic, free and fair elections and still push ahead with economic progress. It is in stark contrast to China, where rapid economic growth comes with the push from strong and authoritarian leadership. As appealing as the Chinese model seems, Indonesia is leaning toward the Indian model. The coalition politics of India would also be a valuable lesson for our own evolving political system.
Another piece of good news this week comes from Sri Lanka, where the government claimed it has defeated the Tamil separatist rebels to bring an end to the 25-year civil war. We wish the war could have been ended less violently and without anyone feeling they are the losers. This would make the rehabilitation of more than 200,000 displaced Tamil people easier. Alas, this is still in progress and Indonesia should quickly offer to lend a hand to Sri Lanka to strengthen the peace process.
— Endy M. Bayuni
