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Indonesians are luckier than the Britons when it comes to electing leaders
British culture and practices of democracy are much more mature than those of Indonesia, which only embraced democracy after the fall of Soeharto’s New Order in May 1998.
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Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street in central London on Oct. 26 for the House of Commons to take part in his first Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). Rishi Sunak will face off against opposition lawmakers for the first time as British prime minister, in a likely raucous parliamentary session following weeks of political turmoil.
(AFP/Justin Tallis)
W
hen I read British media reports that the United Kingdom has had three prime ministers within just 7 weeks, I immediately recalled my favorite remark by former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott. After his ouster in a party coup by his comrades in the Liberal Party, Abbot said succession in Australia was just like “changing clothes.” Borrowing Abbott’s logic, the UK has changed clothes too quickly.
As an ordinary Indonesian citizen, I, with my naivety, conclude that Indonesians are much luckier than the British, as well as the Australians, at least in selecting leaders. Indonesians have the luxury of directly electing their president every five years. The direct presidential election, initiated in 2004 as continuation of political reforms, follows the one man, one vote mechanism.
On Feb. 14, 2024, millions of Indonesians will go to the polls to elect President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s successor. Although the democratic event is still 16 months away, the “drum of war” started beating a few months ago. A number of political figures have expressed their intention to contest, if not declare, their nomination regardless of their chances of winning.
In the UK, Australia and Japan, you need to win a parliamentary seat before you can aspire for the highest office. And only a few hundred members of parliament have the right to elect a prime minister.
Please don’t get mad. It is alright when you call my commentary tasteless and baseless. You can also argue that the parliamentary system in the UK and Australia cannot be compared with Indonesia’s presidential system.
When Rishi Sunak became the prime minister of the UK on Oct. 24, the British media raised the question as to how the country could have three prime ministers within a span of 7 weeks. “How did that happen?”
If I were ever asked, I would answer, ”It’s because only the Tory Party, which won the 2019 election, has the power to elect a prime minister from within.”
