INDONESIA is going to hold elections this year. First, in April 9, 2009, we are going to have a legislative election; it is to vote for members of parliament; national parliament, provincial parliament, and district parliament. At the same time, we’ll also vote for senate members. So, on April 9, we have 4 pieces of paper to be marked (ticked) or punctured in the election booth; national, provincial, district, and senate paper which each loaded with images of the candidates as well as the political party logos they belong to. As we have 34 political parties to be elected with at least 5 candidates for each party, you can imagine how wide is each paper. We have a different method of voting today; in the past we have only to puncture with a nail the image or the logo, today we have to give mark (tick) or, alternatively, puncture on the image or logo. In an election try out months ago, some people still didn’t know how to make a tick or puncture.
As April 9 becomes closer, campaigning becomes busier. Everywhere you go, you’ll stuck with posters, banners, and stickers of candidates as well as the political parties. The posters stick in the streets, on your walls, on your motor vehicles, on your clothes, on trees, in the markets, in restaurants, in hospitals, and even on your nose. They really make you sick. You’re lucky not to be here now.
You’ll get sicker if you really know who they are. They are not someone well educated. They are not someone well behave. They are not someone with a good track record. In other words, they are not someone with a good disposition. But in their campaign, they say that they’ll fight against corruption, collusion, nepotism, despotism, tyranny if they are elected. How can someone who is a part of corruption fight against corruption, that’s the question. I think I’ll not vote if I don’t get the right answer to this question.
Indonesian people now are more pragmatic. They know what the candidates are looking for; they know their motivation; they just want to be rich, and that’s true. If you meet someone in the street, they’ll say, why do I have to help someone to be rich?; Come on, Man, give me fifty thousand, I’ll vote for you.
My friend told me that he would vote for every candidate that gives him money. “If there are five candidates give me money, I’ll vote for them all,” he said. You know that the vote will be annulled if more than one candidate get voted.
On July 9, we’ll have a presidential election. According to the constitution, only political party, or coalition of political parties with at least 25% of legislative votes can propose someone for president. Accordingly, we’ll have 4 presidential candidates at the most.
According to a survey, SBY (the sitting president) still wins most people favor for the next president, seconded by Megawati. I think the chance will go to SBY again for he was able to reduce the fuel price three time. You know it’s not easy to reduce fuel price. It’s not easy for even one time, let alone three time. Never before had the fuel price reduced, not even one time. And now, amazingly, the fuel price is the same as 4 years ago.
According to a recent survey, SBY still won the people favor, followed by Megawati at the second. But Political Party survey showed that the vice-president party (Yusuf Kalla) Golkar, was at the first place, second by SBY party, and PDIP (Megawati’s Party) at the third place. But you cannot judge from the recent survey. The people favor fluctuate every now and then.
Regards,
Hasim
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