Tomorrow...Wednesday, 8th July 2009 is D-DAY for the more than 238million Indonesians!It is the Presidential Elections ( commonly referred to here as "PILPRES" ).
The next President will lead Indonesia from 2009-2014.
Will the existing President SBY prevail?...or, his predecessor Ibu Megawati ...or, will GOLKAR lead Indonesia again with the current Wapres(Wakil Presiden i.e. Vice-President) Jusuf Kalla?
O...G...K...ONLY GOD KNOWS!
( Aspiring Candidates )
( sample of the Ballot paper )
Having arrived in May for my internship at the ASEAN Secretariat-Jakarta (ASEC) , the campaigning was an eye-opener for me as it allows me to compare the campaigning style of 2 different yet similar country/culture i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia.
Having arrived in May for my internship at the ASEAN Secretariat-Jakarta (ASEC) , the campaigning was an eye-opener for me as it allows me to compare the campaigning style of 2 different yet similar country/culture i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia.
Indonesia is the 3rd country (after Malaysia & UK) where I'm observing elections....surprisingly I first voted NOT in Malaysia but in the UK and campaigned in Sheffield for the Liberal Democrats (...for the simple fact that Paddy Ashdown used to serve in Malaysia).
Hence, some personal (NOT as ASEC rep.) observations:
- Only 2 countries in ASEAN chose their President/PM direct...the other being Philippines.
- Almost equal Coverage on TV for the 3 aspiring candidates...( Malaysia MUST Learn ). Point to Note: Voter Education programmes (i.e. how to vote, exercise your rights...blah,blah,blah) are partly sponsored by Japan/Japanese NGOs.
- Official campaigning ended on Saturday i.e. 4days before actual elections. On Sunday, banners, posters etc. started/have to be removed...I suppose its to give voters time to reflect - FREE of external influences!
- Malaysia's ruling(federal) coalition is referred to as Barisan Nasional. Indonesia has a party called BARNAS (short for Barisan Nasional).
- Usage of ink to ensure that voters DO NOT vote twice.
- ...and in a compromise(despite a court ruling re the electoral register) to ensure the elections proceed - voters who are not registered/listed in the electoral roll, can vote at the last hour before the polling stations are closed! GO FIGURE!
Some comparisons:
- Extensive use of paraphernalia like banners, posters etc. in Indonesia & Malaysia, whereas in UK...its usage is considered minimal.
- Supporters of contenders will go around treating people at certain places. e.g. in Kebayoran Baru(where I'm staying), certain factions will go around saying "this treat is on us...more to come,if we win". Same goes for Malaysia...reminds me of Ketari, Pahang by-election ...amongst others!
- Almost Equal coverage of contenders in TV media in UK(at least where Labour & Conservative parties are concerned) and Indonesia.......but not in Malaysia.
Based on the feedbacks I get in Jakarta(mainly from taxi drivers, food stall operators & public at large) & to a lesser extent Bandung folks...it will be a contest between SBY-Boediono & JK-Wiranto. Ibu Mega seemed to be setting-up Prabowo for the next Presidential bid in 2014...aah! Politics...who would have thought that Bung Karno's daughter would ever team-up with Pak Suharto's former son-in-law!!??
My 177Rupiah Ngobrol(Comment):
The election is a fight between the PAST , PRESENT and a wannabe FUTURE.
I forecast GREAT THINGS happening in Indonesia...if, they chose right!
I would think that the SBY-Boediono ticket will win handsomely....but, then again so did BN in the 12th General Elections held in 2008!
~ I WISH INDONESIA...ALL THE BEST & CHOOSE WISELY ~
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3 comments:
8 July 2009 reply from my Indonesian friend - Rya
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Good observ, amirul!!
This is going to be our most important election ever, since we're now facing great challenges to consolidating democracy,and tackling the homeworks.
Lots of things need to be done, sooner is better. But to do so, we
need to vote the right one!
Be it SBY, be it JK, be it MEGA.
Time will tell, after we give our vote in the bailout,of course.
Vox populi vox dei...
This road to democracy is indeed long and painful.
But we committed to take this journey while keep the fait that the
future will be much better.
Will Malaysia take its path to democracy and risks the costs that may come?
Will Malaysia be the next democratic country in ASEAN?
Someday,Somewill...
You guys shall be the agent of change!
YES, YOU CAN!!!
=) =) =)
It takes a year to plant a seed.
It takes ten years to grow a tree.
But it takes hundred years to educate people...
Rya
~memilih dengan nurani.
8 July 2009 reply from a Malaysian!
>>>>>>>
bro,
will discuss further on the democratisation process happening in Indonesia once ur back.
With all due respect I partly agree with your view on the current political "rejuvenation" happennings in Indonesia. Many things are happening in Indonesia and initiatives were extensively implemeted by alll especially the ruling government. Perhaps you were looking only at the election process which is undergoing now. I suggest you to look into the bigger picture meaning the geopolitical, geosecurity and geographical aspect of the country. We're observing, analysing and critical on a very interesting country and not too mentioned a lucrative one.
I again partly agree on your view on debat CAPRES and CAWAPRES. However, we should also look into the aspect of OTDA and their government system as well. Their approach on democracy are 50% similar to Malaysia but in this context I really don't think UMNO or BN is ready for this ;;)). I believe the way they conducted the debat is a reflection of high morale, high dignity and bravery of the respective candidates in which UMNO is not ready for this kind of battle.
On the other side of the coin, Indonesia with more that 260 million population are not easy to handle. The only issue with the country is enforcement, enforcement and enforcement. If they can seriously look into the matter, I can bet you they will be the next super power after China, India, Russia or even the US.
But how to enforce? they need to cut the red tape in the civil service meaning combatting corruption to the fullest through various mechanism. Police need to be overhauled and the need to change the people's mind set are paramount in perceiving military as the ruling government. Ini ekoran dr pemerintahan Suharto, Indonesian masih mempercayai kewibawaan tentera rather than the police in enforcing the law and order. Even the CAPRES and CAWAPRES came from military back ground. This need to be changed first.
Lastly, we have to remember that majority of the citizens (not Mamit or Defri ok) can be easily carried away (especially by the media) with sensational news or issues without analysing and studying into greater details. They're are the nation of jumping into conclusion, hasad dan dengki are always mounting, like to see petty issues as a "national" issue and this are all due to the unique upbringing of different ethnicity in different district. They're again, not easy to handle.
Democracy can only be smoothly achieved if better education system and allocation are restored and good governance are religiously practised in great Indonesia!
That's my humble opinion on my second home-Indonesia!
9 July 2009 comment from/exchange between a Jogjakarta friend i.e.Rum & me!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
yes sir, already read your latest post in the blog. People learned from the past and try to find conformism in democracy. while it is in progress, there are enabling factors (from democracy) to the society work; enable people to speak, enable people to think different (trigger the creativity), etc. and the final step is enable the society to find their own order. even though that will took a long time. but without maintenance and consolidation on democracy, that would be only a bandwagon
Rum
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My initial comment/observation:-
Interesting to observe PILPRES ...now can compare between UK, Malaysia & Indonesia....no 1 system is the best.
Among the things that i like here is the easy accessibility of polling stations(kinda cool to have it in front of the house!), creativity of the head of stations to attract voters(like offering free meals to 1st 100 to vote, ballot box on pelamin etc, fair media coverage! Some things Malaysia & UK can learn from Indonesia!
Amirul
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