T

he economic progress being made in Indonesia today is the envy of most nations. Slowly but steadily, this country is continuing its march forward. That march is slow only in comparison to a China or an India, but steadier than both in its rate of growth. The leadership of China’s 1-party system recognise the social challenges economic progress brings. They are making efforts to address them, within the overarching principles of their communist beliefs. In India, the world’s largest democracy, the challenges are understood by the motley crew at the helm. But the conflict of ideologies renders the coalition powerless to lead the country with necessary and meaningful reform. Private enterprise continues to flourish, as it always does, regardless of the political mayhem.

With two years to go before the next round of elections, Indonesians face a cross-roads yet again. The transition from dictatorship to democracy is now well-entrenched and irreversible. Recent gossip about a coup was fanned by sections of the press only to grab attention but was largely ignored by the average citizen. On the other hand, parliamentary democracy and coalition politics has made a mockery of the people’s right to select and elect its leaders. The usual circus continues, with one story of embezzlement following another misuse of public funds. The ugly nexus between big business and big politics is all too obvious. The disregard for public opinion and disrespect for the voter is blatantly displayed by its elected representatives in the corridors of power, every single day.

If this state of affairs is allowed to continue, Indonesia runs the risk of accepting parliamentary paralysis as a way of life. It is time for the average citizen, the owners of small and medium sized enterprises, to take stock and consider their options. Equally, it is time for political leaders and the businessmen who fund them, to set out clear national agendas that enable the voter to make a choice. Anyone who suggests that the average voter is uninterested, uninformed or uncaring, is either wrong or cynical. Or both of the above. There are major social changes in progress, that all concerned would do well to take note of. The country deserves nothing less. The opportunities are too great to ignore.

With economic progress will come all its other accessories, each creating new pressures and demands. More jobs and better wages are already taking their toll. Fatter wallets and bigger waistlines are almost directly connected around the world and Indonesia is no exception. In the last three years, there has been a visible increase in obesity, a scar on the country’s impeccable Body Mass Index. With obesity will come all its ancillary illnesses, more signs of economic progress. These will add greater pressure to the national healthcare system, strained and ill-equipped as any professional would agree. Healthcare is not a political issue yet, as most Indonesians with typically low expectations are in fact satisfied with the quality of service they receive.

A nation with little interest in sports is displaying even less as time goes by. While one in three Indonesians say they want some form of exercise, less than one in four actually engage in regular fat-burning. More people are watching soccer on TV, but less at a stadium. This has never been a nation known for its sporting prowess, but the signs are getting worse not better. The good news is that more people are increasingly conscious of health issues, but not enough are really doing anything about it. Smoking as a phenomenon remains as high as ever. Calorie-consciousness has stunted the growth of aerated drinks, not much else.

Consciousness of any kind and quality of education go hand in hand. But even today, most Indonesian voters aren’t really concerned with education. Though most parents would want their children to graduate, politicians have failed to recognise the lack of progress Indonesia is making in this critical sphere. More workers than ever before have now finished high school, but Indonesia’s percentage of youth with university degrees and tertiary diplomas isn’t really growing. It is brain-power not muscle-power that will shape tomorrow’s economic powerhouses. If politicians and their friends in business ignore education as a political non-issue, they will have only themselves to blame in the not-too-distant future.

The demand for social justice and greater equality will grow louder as economic progress widens the perceived gap between rich and poor. Nine out of ten Indonesians now believe this gap is widening. Eight out of ten believe it is the government’s responsibility to look after the unemployed. While the middle-class continues to grow, the demand for TV sets, refrigerators and motorcycles remain as strong as ever. But it is a curious fact that there is little growth in the number of households with cars. More cars are being sold than ever before, but most of those new cars are going into homes which already have one. There was a time not so long ago when most cars on the road were old jalopies, not so today. City roads are strangulated in all of Indonesia’s metros, with cars and motorcycles, not buses or trams. Public transportation isn’t an electoral issue yet, but does that mean that people crying out for mass-transit systems should be ignored?

This is the world’s biggest Islamic population, practicing what is widely acknowledged as a moderate expression of the faith. Its secular character is enshrined in the country’s constitution. But vigilante squads like FPI, incidents of church-burning, attacks on minorities like the Ahmadiyyas, ministerial proclamations equating miniskirts with pornography go unpunished. Religion is not a voting issue, but it is a weapon that is being freely used in today’s politics. Even the most casual of society-watchers know that the religious parties have been sidelined to the fringe by the voting public. They gain no traction by fanning religious, sectarian or racial issues. If coalition politics is to blame, then the Indonesian voter must act decisively at the next elections. Contrary to popular myth, this society is becoming more conservative, not liberal in its values. Every society has the right to shape its future, but it is the duty of its leaders to guide their people. Like so many other democracies, Indonesia is beginning to look like a runaway train, unable or unwilling to make clear choices on major issues. Conservatism and fundamentalism aren’t the same thing, even if we were to agree with those who believe that one leads to the other. Religion is essentially a freedom of choice, and that freedom needs to be preserved for the sake of all, believers and non-believers alike.

A democracy that is also a caring society will not be defined by how it takes care of its majority, but by the effort it makes for the welfare of its minorities. Among them, in today’s Indonesia, are the millions still living in poverty. The politician, the businessman and the voter all need to consider some of these political non-issues as they prepare for the polls.

These conclusions are based on Roy Morgan Single Source, the country’s largest syndicated survey. More than 26,000 respondents are interviewed every year, week after week. The data is projected to reflect 87 percent of the population 14 years of age and over.

The writer can be contacted at debnath.guharoy@roymorgan.com