Kompas -
January 5, 2009
Suwardiman –
In welcoming the 2009 general elections, the public has placed its hopes in
improvements to their economic and social livelihoods. In the shadows of the
political arena however, the disappointing progress and performance of various
state institutions has tended made the public pessimistic.
The public’s
level of confidence that there will be improvements to the economic situation
appears to be quite high. This level of confidence may have been stimulated by
popular policies recently enacted by the government such as the reduction in
the price of fuel.
Although the
drop in the price of fuel has not automatically flowed on to a reduction in the
price of basic commodities and lower public transport fares, the “atmosphere”
brought with it appears to have encouraged the public’s level of optimism. This
was reflected by the majority of respondents that stated they were positive
that there would be improvements in household income and the capacity to
purchase basic goods in 2009.
The public’s
optimistic attitude appears to be at odds with a number of analysts and
economic predictions that say Indonesia’s economic situation will not improve
this year.
Conversely,
the possibility of the economic situation worsening is very high as a
consequence of global influences. It is quite possible that public’s hope of
improvements in the economic situation will be in conflict with optimizing the
government’s work in 2009.
There is
concern that the focus of all political institutions – particularly in the
first half of this year – will largely be directed at the grand political
celebration titled the general elections. Never mind the realisation that major
weakness in the economic sector will translate into the problem of limited job
opportunities.
Although
increases in the price of basic goods can be controlled by the government, the
threat of dismissals as a consequence of a slump in the export market is no
less dangerous. As many as 68.4 percent of respondents netted in this survey
are pessimistic that there will be improvements in the chances of finding work
in 2009.
In general
terms, although 2009 is the “year of politics” because of the clamor of the
political contest in the lead up to the elections, the majority of the public
(54.64 percent) are of the view that the most important thing for the
government to be working on remains economic stability and employment
opportunities. This correlates with the problem of social welfare as the issue
that is seen by the public as the most important thing for the government to address.
Political
parties
In 2009, the
issue that will dominant the colour of politics will be the legislative and
presidential elections. In the lead up to this political festival, the
political parties and the House of Representatives (DPR) have been greeted with
a negative image in the eyes of the public.
This
pessimistic note with regard to the performance of these two institutions is
also quite strong this year. The public has the lowest level of confidence in
the performance of the political parties and the DPR compared with its
confidence in other state institutions.
In a survey
carried out last week of 862 telephone owners in Indonesia’s 10 largest cities,
more than half of respondents (53.8 percent) said that the political parties’
image was bad. Those who believed the opposite meanwhile was only 38.3 percent.
The
political parties will become the principle stars in the political drama this
year. The climax being on April 5 when voting will take place. The “existence”
of the political parties will be demonstrated by the number of seats they take
in the parliament when the results of the election are announced.
The
political parties however will indeed have to work hard to overcome their poor
image in the eyes of the public.
Preparations
in the lead up to this year’s elections have already been apparent over the
last few months, including among other things by intense campaigns by political
parties that will take part in the elections and the figures who will be
contesting them.
Almost all
of the political parties have aggressively tried to reach out to and introduce
themselves to the public though campaigns in the mass media and in every space
in the public domain.
In the next
few months it is certain that every single city will be full of the varied
colours and identities of the political parties. Posters, banners, stickers,
billboard full of jargon, party symbols and the “rosy” faces of candidate
leaders will cover every corner of the cities. Festive and chaotic.
But in fact,
not all state institutions are seen negatively. The Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) for example, which has exposed a number of high level
corruption cases recently, has earned the highest level of public appreciation.
Institutions such as the Indonesian military, the police, the administration
and cabinet follow with an improving appreciation by the public.
The KPK’s
positive image has been built, among other things, on its sustained work in
exposing cases of corruption. In 2008 alone the KPK uncovered 86 cases of corruption,
34 of which resulted in sentences with 52 others still in process.
Performance
of the DPR
The public’s
negative assessment of the DPR is rooted in disappointment with the performance
of the people’s representatives who they voted for in the previous elections.
The majority
of respondents (68.6 percent) in this survey stated that that the performance
of the legislators that they voted for in the 2004 elections are still far from
what they had hoped for. Only one in four respondents stated that lawmakers had
fulfilled their expectations.
The public’s
disappointment could be a consequence of the reality of the DPR’s performance
over the 2004-2009 period. In the legislative area for example, a lack of
consistency on the part of the DPR has been apparent in terms of meeting the
National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).
In 2005, out
55 priority draft laws, only 14 were finished. In the following year, out of 44
priority draft laws, 39 were completed. In 2007, the DPR exceeded the target of
32 draft laws by completing 40, although six of these were only laws related to
the administrative decentralization process. In 2008 meanwhile, the DPR also
“pursued its rental fee” by completing 64 draft laws out of a target of 31.
Unfortunately,
out of the many draft laws that were completed and approved by the DPR, the
majority were not initiated by the DPR. Not to mention the poor quality of the
legislation produced as reflected by the many laws that were later submitted
for to the Constitutional Court for judicial review. At least 154 laws have
been brought before the Constitutional Court since 2003.
Legal cases
involving members of the DPR or the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD),
many of which have colored reports in the mass media and the television over
the last year, have further damaged the house’s image. Ranging from corruption,
drug use and morality related cases – such as the circulation of an immoral
video involving a legislative member – these cases have tarnished this term of
the people’s representatives in office.
Doubts
Among the
other state institutions, the political parties and the DPR are the
institutions that the public is most doubtful will undergo any improvements
this year. Improvements in the performance of these two pillars of democracy
will determine the political face of the state for the next five years. This
will of course been in concert with meeting the public’s hopes in the economic
and social welfare sectors. (Kompas Research and Development Division)
[Translated
by James Balowski. The original title of the report was ‘Tracing a sense of
hope in 2009’ – Survey]
