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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