introduction to democratic elections

8/6/2019 Introduction to Democratic Elections

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Introduction to Democratic Election

Democracy is a governing system that every citizen wants to have for its country. Many

people have died fighting for the reform of their country to be a democratic one. From Martin

Luther Kings Speech I hava a dream, that some day I will live in a nation where I would not

be judge by the colour of my skin, but by the contents of my heart i to the demonstration in

Tianamen Square China, and to the riots of May 1998 in Indonsia. These are ways of showing

the world that we want to live in a democratic state with a democratic government.

Elections is one form of choosing a leader that is found only in a democratic state. The

Sovyet Union with its communist idealism does not have elections. The leader of the state is not

choosen by the people, but its choosen through blood line, or from high ranking goverments

official options on the future leaders of the state. Election that happen in democratic contires,

sometimes does not go smootly, frauds and disputes tend to happen within the process of election

itself. Indonesia as a leading democratic country in muslim majority country alsohas it ups and

downs especially during the Soeharto era, where many electoral anda human rights violations

happen.

Newly born democratic countries sometime are not capable in handling the election

process it self, so they invite forreign organisations to help them through the electoral democray

process. In this critical review I will combine the electoral democracy of the Republic of

Indonesia with the opinion of Vikram K Chand from his article Democratisation from the outside

in: NGO and imtermational efforts to promote open election.


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The Long Road to Democratic Elections in Indonesia

Indonesia is a country that is no know to be the worlds most populated muslim country but with a democratic government, Usually countries with a majority of muslim citizens tend to

be un democratic and use islamic law as the gudance for the rulling of the country by the leaders.

The road to democracy and democratic elections In Indonesia is not an easy road to travel,

Indonesia has its ups and dwn during the way

Indonesia has had many government style changes during its road from independence in

1945 to this day. The first form of democrasy in Indonesia is Demokrasi terpimpin liberal

democration, that happende during the years 17 August 1950- 5 July 1959. During this time of democration, besides having a president and vice president as the leader of the state, Indonesia

also had a prime minister which change a couple of time during this tme periode. After liveral

democration, Indonesia entered the Demokrasi Terpimpin Guided democrasy. During this

stage of democracy president Soekarno was forced to step down from his rank as president

because of the G30S PKI ii, event that led to the assasinations of important Generals within the

Indonesia Army.

After the step down of Soekarno came Demokrasi pancasila pada masa orde baru,Democrast based on Pancasila during the new Order Regime. Soeharto was elected to be the

president of Indonesia, during this stage, a lot of violations to human rights and fraud during

elections happened. After thr rain of Soeharto came to an end during the 1998 riots, Indonesia

came to a new stage called democration during the reform area which lasted untill this present

day. This stage of Indonesia democration has shown a significance ammount of change in the

way the Indonesia government behaves on the term democration.

Little more than a decade ago, tens of thousands of Indonesians joined together in a people-power overthrow of dictator Suharto, who had ruled for 32 years. Since then, the country

has had four Presidents, with peaceful transitions of power between each leader. Indonesia's

success at the ballot box has silenced skeptics who doubted whether Indonesia with its

diversity of islands, religions and ethnicities could mature into a democratic state. Indeed,


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compared to countries such as Malaysia and Thailand, where democratic institutions are

stagnating if not backsliding, Indonesia has cemented its status as Southeast Asia's political role

model iii.

Undemocratic Elections During Soehartos Leadership Era

After the step down of Soekarno as president of the Indonesia Republic, General

Soeharto step up to become the new president. Soeharto ruled Indonesia for 32 years, and during

that 32 years of power there have been 5 Election for president and vice president.

1977 Golkar 232, P3 99, PDI 29

1982 Golkar 242, P3 94, PDI 24

1987 Golkar 299, P3 61, PDI 40

1992 Golkar 282, P3 62, PDI 56

1997 Golkar 325, P3 89, PDI 11

The result of the election are alwas won by Golkar Party, which is soehartos party iv. The people

of Indonesia were forced by Soehartos regime to vote for him again and again, time after time.

If they did not vote for Soeharto then they will end up with a punishment from the government.

During Soehartos Era there were new laws that were implicated on the Indonesia

constitution such as the law abiding the election of a presidential candidate that they have a work

year of 5 years and can be picke with out any maximum number if time, thus makin Soehatro the

Single president of Indonesia for 32 years. Besides that, the president has the main power. The presidents ower is the source of all the power. It is the centre of all political, military, social

cultural, economic policy. If the president say yes, Then yes it is.

Finally after bearing the authoritarian regime of Soeharto, the Indonesian people fought

back against Soehartos regime during the month of May in 1998. Indonesia was also in a


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monetary crisis state, so that made the protester ask fo the step down of Soeharto and change the

political way from Pancasila Democray into Refoem democrasy.

Elections As A Way To Promote Democracy in Indonesia

The Indonesia general election is a way for the Indonesian citizen to pick members of the

Indonesian Parlement. It has become an obligation for the Indonesia government (as a

democratic state) to run the elecion within Indonesia,

General elections in Indonesia can be done in two ways.

Direct general elections, the Indonesia people choose who to pick for the DPRDII, DPRD

I and DPR v

Stratified way, the Indonesia people choose first its vice in the senat, the thesenat will

choose the rest of the people that will be in the higher ranks of government.

In the General elections, it is hope that the people choosen as the vice of citizen are purely

the choice of the citizen that has chossen them, not the choice made by fraud or money politics vi.

The District system is one of the oldest election systems based on the geogrphic unity, in

which that one geogrphic unity has one vice in the representative in the parlement. The district

system is commonly used in a country which has a two party system such as England, Malaysia

and India. Also a district system can be use in a country which has a muulty part system such as

Malaysia vii.

The Proporsional system is dividing an equal percentage of the numbers of space in the

parlement and giving them to the political parties according to the number of votes they get

from the general elections. The amount of chairs achieved with the parties in the hose of

representataive equals the amoint of votes they get from the Indonesia public .viii


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The History Of United Nations In Helping Create Electoral Democracy

The United nation had significant in conducting plebiscities and elections in dependentterritories but did not monitor an election in a formally independent state until 1989, when it

reluctantly become involved in nicaraguan electorial process. Non government organization

(NGOs) domestic and international, were the first to become involved in election monitoring.

Election monitoring plays a crutial role in growing or corrupted countires such as the Phillipines,

Chile, Panama, Nicaragua and other countries. ix

In 1991 the OAS convention (organization of American states) at Santiago declared thet

member states were required to maintain democratic forms of governance consistant with thecharter. The OAS approved washington protocol under which any suspicions of democracy in a

member state will trigger a meeting of the OAS parliament council in order to take apropriate

measures. In Desember 1991 the UN General Assembly passed a resolution by overwhelming

majority 134 to 4 calling on the secretary General to establish an office to coordinate request for

electoral assistance by member states, leading to the creation of an Electoral Assistance unit int

the Department of Political Affairs (DPA).

Factors That contributed In The Growing Erge For Democracy

The growing support of for democracy and clean elections in corrupted countries was

the product of five factors. The first factor was that the wave of democratisation that begun 1n

the 1970s and continued to through the 1990s radically transformed the make up of the worlds

main international organizations.In the last quarter of the tweentieth century thr IGO (Inter

Govermental Organizations) encouraged the promotion of democracy around the world. At the

same time, new democrasies countries were weak countrys afraid that the democracy would be

rolled back. The IGOs representated an insurance against potensial regresion on anyone

attacking the new democracy state.


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The second reason is that The United States supports attempets to strengthen IGOs

commitment in Democracy. American leaders such as Anthony Lake defined democracy as a

new central thread unting countries after the fall of the iron curtain x. America also considers that

democracy is better than dictataor ship thus giving a peacefull air in international relations.

The third reason is that domestic changes, particularly the strengthening of civil political

society, made it easier for regime opponents to garner international support for democracy. The

American Human Rights Commision (IAHRC) of the OAS anf the UN centrre for Human rights

have expirienced a sharp increase of the number of complaints relating to violations of political

rights. This reflects a secluar increase in the capacitu of dissidents to take their case to the

international comunities. Also during this period of time may countries orderd that their

government be a democray. For example Chinas Tianamen square protest was one form of

protetst against their authoritarian government.

The forth reason is that changes in global normative climate made the involvement of

IGOs and NGOs increase in pro democray efforts. Nowadays, democray is viewed as the only

legitimate form of government. This view to some extent is clearly the product of authoritarian

Russia with its iron fist in controlling the sovyet union. A lot of casses involving the violation of

human right happened here form the beginning of the 19 th centry till nearly the end, thus making

democracy the only right and legitimate form of government xi.

The election of Pope John Paul the II in 1979 intensified the Vaticans support for a prom

democry world wide countries. The pope who is of polish decendent who had experienced the

sovyet rain of terror during the war and cold war years condemned harldy the violation of human

rights thus becoming him The guardian of freedom. Papal visitis to state struggling to

democratice thei countries include visits to Mexico, 1979,1990 ; Poland 1979; Elsalvador 1983;

korea 1984;Chile 1987 and Paraguay 1988. Major within the catholic church strengthen global

democratic norm directly, with a powerful global actor coming out in support of democracy.

The fith reason is the rise of election-monitoring actors to defend democracy reflects the

erosian of traditional state sovereighnty. Rising state economic independence made states more

porous to outside influence including pressure to democratise states with a non domocratic


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government.Portugal and Greece in the case of Eeuropean Economic Community (EEC) and

Mexico in the case of North America Free Trade Area (NAFTA).

The collapse of the Sovyet Union removed a significant important obstacle to the United

States and International efforts to promote democracy abrpad and open the door for revival of moralism in United States Foreign Pollicy.Further more the rising importance of of sub-national

loyalities, ether ethnic, regional,religeous pose a new challenge to state dominance of society xii.

Election Monitoring As A Way To Increase The Credibility Of The Election

Process

Election monitoring involves a gamut of activities. These activities include the passive

observation of electoral process, pressure for change in the electoral enviroment, verification

regestration list of voters, balloting and the count, mediation between the government and

opposition, the provision of techical support and the most extreme case the actual administration

of elections by outsiders.This happens if the state is unable to make a democratic election by

itself, than outside help is needed to make it happen for those states xiii .

Election observation serves five distinct function. The first function is to improve the

credibility of the election pprocess by deterring/stopping fraud. This act of outside support

encourages oppositon parties to participate rather than boycot the ptocess. Besides that, this

action boost voters turn out significantly. That is because the voters are reassured by the foreign

help that the electoral will be a fair electoral without the dominance of one or two major parties.

For example, Daniel Ortega clearly execpted the Sandinistas to win the Febuary elections in

1990 in Nicaragua, and took the gamble of inviting the United Nation, OAS and the council of

Freely Elected Heads of Government chaired by Jimmy Carter (former American President) toobserve the elections in Nicaragua.

The second reason is that observers play an very significant and important role in

providing technical support and assistance to improve the electoral process world wide. The

assistance of forreign observers has ranged from the traing of poll watchers to helping deisgn an


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appropriate sample parralel vote tabulations including quick counts, and financing the purchase

of logistical equipment. For example,in Nicaragua, the United Nations designed a quick count

based on the sample of 8% to 10% of the vote that showed Violeta Chamorro with a 16 point

lead over Ortega xiv.

The third reason is that observers play an important role in mediating disputes and

bridgeing the chasm(gap) of distrust among rival political contenders. For an example, in El-

Salvador, the patient mediation of both the United Nation secretaru-General Javiers perez de

Cuellar and his representative Alvaro de Soto kept the peaace talks alive between the

government and the Farabundo MartI national Liberation Front (FMLN) eventually resulting in

a series of breakthrough agreements.In the Dominican Republic, a tense stand off between the

government and opposition, which questioned the results of the 1990 elections, was successfully

defused through deft diplomacy by Jimmy Carters delegation xv.

The fourth reasons is that observer plays an important role in opening up the electoral

process by briding problems out into the open and pressuring for their rectification.In Namibia,

the United Nation, ehich possed the rifht to veto South Africas conduct of the elections,

successfully pressured aiuth African Administrator-General (AG) to revise the electoral law to

permit voting by secreat ballot, counting in thhe major reginal centre rather than in a single fraud

prone national centre, and full access to voting stations by South West African Peoples

Organization (SWAPO) representatives. United Nation pressure also forced the AG to abandon

plans to subject Namibias new constituent Assembly to South Afrucan control by making its

decisions subject to veto by the AG and judicial review by South African courts.

The Final reason is that outside organizations have been called on to administer the

electoral process or supervise it, usuallu as part of a wider peace-building strategy. In Cambodia

the United Nation organised and conducted the 1993 electoral process from start to finish, while

in Namibia it meticulously supervised an election organised by the South African Government.

The Conclusion

Indonesia is still a newly developing democratic country that sometimes stumbles and

falls with its democratic problmes and election problems. Even the last election which won

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as president of Indonesia for the second periode is still shrowded in


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frauds and money politics and lot of act of unfair play from the competing political parties. It

is then a good idea if Indonesia can prove to the world that it is a democratic country and that it

is capable of creating democratic elections, Indonesia should consider inviting The United

Nations to observe the on going of the national elections. It is state above that newly democratic

countris invite the United states and forreign international organisation in order to gain

dredibility from other countries that it can do a democratic election.

Beside from showing to the world the capability of Indonesia in conducting a fair

general elections, the help of the United Nations may also give new inovations for indonesia in

conducting a fair election.It may also increase the number of people wanting to vote because

they know that the international observers will not allow acts of fraud, cheating, money politics

and unfair play during their observations of Indonesia elections.


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i Martin Luther King famous quote which was made prior to his assasination in Memphis,Tn, onMarch 29, 1968ii Gerakan 30 September Partai Komunis Indonesia, The 30 th of september movement that isiniciated by the Indonesia communist party that killed many army Generals.iii http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909198,00.htmliv Power Point slide,Politik Indonesia, Politik Indonesia di Era Orde baru, Kristian Widya Wicaksanav DPRD(Dewan perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) Indonesia house of representatives, ditrict area;DPR(Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat) Indonesia national house of representativevi Money Politics is the act of paying the people in order for their will to vote for they paying personPolitical party or leader.vii Budiyanto, 2006, Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan untuk SMA kelas XI , Penerbit Erlangga, Jakartap55viii Budiyanto, 2006, Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan untuk SMA kelas XI , Penerbit Erlangga, Jakartap56ix Vikram k Chand, 1997Democratistion from outside in:NGO and international efforts to promoteopen elections, Third world quaterly vol 18,no 3 p544x A Lake, The enlargement of democrasy , from containment to enlargement , US Department osstate dispatch , 3 (39), 27 September 1993, pp658-664xi D H levine, Religeon and plitics, polities and Religeion: an introduction.in Levine (ed), churchesand politics in Latin America , Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1979xii Vikram k Chand, 1997Democratistion from outside in:NGO and international efforts to promoteopen elections, Third world quaterly vol 18,no 3 p546xiii Vikram k Chand, 1997Democratistion from outside in:NGO and international efforts to promoteopen elections, Third world quaterly vol 18,no 3 p546xiv The council of freely-Elected Heads of Government, Observing Nicaraguas election, 1989-1990 ,Atlanta, GA: Carter centre of Emory University, 1990, pp25-26xv J Mcoy, L Garber & R Pastor,Pollwatching and peace making, in L Diamond & F Plattner (eds),The Global Resurgence of Democracy , Baltimore, MD John Hopkins University press, 1993, p181
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909198,00.htmlhttp://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1909198,00.html

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