Election Fever...

Both Malaysia and Indonesia are heading into election day in less than a week. It's a much bigger election in Indonesia for sure but the ones in Malaysia are no less important. The April 9th election in Indonesia is for the legislative level, while the presidential election is set to be on July 5th. In Malaysia, there are three by-elections on April 7th in Bukit Gantang (Perak), Bukit Selambau (Kedah) and Batang Ai (Sarawak) to replace previous MPs who passed away recently.

One thing that bothers me about the Indonesian election is the same old politicians who run in every election. When do people like Megawati and Gus Dur finally feel the need to let go and pass the torch to young leaders of their parties? I'd very much like to see the major political parties introduce young blood into the political process, instead of the tired old geriatric leaders. I guess that's what makes me attracted to Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS, Justice & Prosperity Party) since it's a relatively new party full with highly-motivated young cadres with a tangible political platform to sell the public. By the way, this is just based from my casual observation in the province of South Kalimantan, where I had lived for a year. I had been to PKS's provincial office in Kal-Sel twice and I was completely impressed with its level of operations and attention to every political details. I've volunteered in many political campaigns in the US and what I observed at the PKS office in Kal-Sel was on-par with some of the big campaigns in the US in terms of organization, efficiency and sensitivity to local voters and their needs. I was simply blown away! I also went to other parties' offices like PDI-P, Partai Demokrat, Golkar, PAN, PKB, PBB and others, but they simply pale in comparison with PKS when it comes to political professionalism. Plus, PKS gave me a lot of cool stuffs like DVDs, booklets, and several nice polo shirts for free while other parties wanted me to pay for their stuffs! By the way, I collect political memorabilia, and yes, I'm such a dork!

Also, what's amazing about this upcoming Indo election is the reincarnation of the anti-Reformasi figure, Prabowo Subianto and his Gerindra (Gerakan Indonesia Raya) party into a major political force. This is the guy, who only in May 1998, was hell-bent on preventing the downfall of his father in-law Suharto and stopping the wave of democratization that was sweeping the nation at the time. As the head of the elite Kopassus (Special Command Force), Prabowo was responsible for the kidnapping and killing of student activists during the mass demonstrations in May 1998. I guess that's the beauty (or the dark-side) of the democratic system for allowing someone like Prabowo to compete legally in the free and open political arena, as sickening as it is. People tend to forget and forgive rather easily, and with enough money, crooks like Prabowo can buy back his past and stage a political comeback, instead of languishing in the Cipinang prison! And let's not forget about Wiranto and his present Hanura party, whose hands are still bloodied from the deaths and suffering of the East Timorese in 1999 referendum. He should be tried for crimes against humanity, rather than be allowed to engage in the political process.

Another aspect of the upcoming Indonesian election is the high number of celebrity candidates. Being a young democracy, its political culture is more personality-based than agenda-based, and instead of offering concrete solutions to solve the social problems, political parties expect people to vote based on the popularity of the candidates. I think this is just the way for political parties to avoid talking about the social problems and wanting to amass cheap votes. To some extent this strategy is understandable especially when there are dozens of other political parties competing and having somebody famous as candidates certainly helps with the name-recognition and party visibility on the ballot. But this strategy should only be pursued in addition to a clear and substantive party platform, which takes precedence over all else. A political party must have a clear and concrete agenda to offer to the voting public, and not just celebrity candidates. Otherwise, it ceases to become a political party and turns into a cult.

As for the Malaysian by-elections on April 7th, the three elections will not be as easy for the Opposition as its two recent by-election wins in Permatang Pauh (Kedah) and Kuala Trengganu. PAS's candidate, Nizar Jamaludin, will win handily in Bukit Gantang and but the two other by-elections still remain a toss-up. With the BN's political and financial machinery in full force, one can expect these elections to be close and very dirty, especially in the rural Batang Ai district. God knows how many millions of Ringgit BN plans to spend on these elections, especially for the so-called "development projects." The Bukit Gantang by-election in Perak is especially important as it serves as a referendum to the popularity of the Opposition-led state government or the illegally-installed UMNO-led one, and by association, the newly sworn-in PM, Najib Tun Razak. I think the Batang Ai district will remain in BN's hands as its component parties in Sarawak will deliver the votes as usual. Lest we forget it was the BN component parties in Sabah and Sarawak that saved BN's ass in Semenanjung in the March 2008 general election. As for Bukit Selambau by-election in Kedah, I hope that the Opposition's strategy of not selecting Hindraf's (Hindu-rights organization) preferred candidate and instead chose an Indian candidate with less race-focused agenda will succeed. It'll turn out to be a very competitive by-election especially when there are 15 candidates contesting for the seat.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the elections in both countries will be held peacefully with minimal violence and fraud, which is a good stepping stone towards the deepening of democracy. And of course, in the Malaysian case, I'm hoping for the Opposition (Pakatan Rakyat) to win in all three by-elections.