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Contrasting claims on human rights, democracy
Jakarta Globe - July 6, 2014
Yet, the presidential candidates' view on the merits of direct elections – and by extension their commitment to uphold democracy – is one of the differing factors between the two.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto had openly questioned the merits of direct elections, even though he later backtracked from those comments. Meanwhile, his rival Joko Widodo has expressed his willingness to uphold direct elections in the country.
"That [indirect election] is not democracy, that is a decline," Joko was quoted as saying on July 1 by Jawa Pos in Cilegon at a campaign stop. Joko's statement came as an Australian journalist asked him whether he disfavors direct elections, as suggested by Prabowo.
Joko – who has been directly elected by the people, first as mayor of Solo, then as governor of Jakarta – then said that direct elections are something that the people want as it enables them to better deliver their aspirations to their leaders.
Prabowo had indicated that, if elected, he would begin the process of winding back the electoral system in favor of a "consultative" approach he says is more in keeping with Indonesian cultural traditions.
Speaking at a "Cultural Dialog with Presidential Candidates" event at Jakarta's Taman Ismail Marzuki on June 28, Prabowo said that Indonesians had a tendency to be overly influenced by Western ideas such as democracy.
"Consciously or not, our elites were all Western-educated – Bung Karno, Bung Hatta, Bung Sjahrir, and including myself. We're products of the West," Prabowo said, rhetorically placing himself among the founders of the modern Indonesian state – Sukarno, Mohammad Hatta and Sutan Sjahrir.
Prabowo said the elites have long presumed that Western ideas such as 'one man, one vote' and direct elections for provincial and national leaders are the best on offer.
"Even though they're not appropriate for us. Like direct elections – we've already gone down that path. But it's like someone addicted to smoking; if we ask them to stop, the process will be difficult," Prabowo said. "I believe much of our current political and economic systems go against our nation's fundamental philosophy, laws and traditions, and against the 1945 Constitution," he said.
Prabowo returned to a phrase he has often used in campaign speeches across the country – "a return to the 1945 Constitution" – but it is a slogan that few ordinary Indonesians really understand. The Constitution, unamended, concentrates authority in the position of the president.
Article 37 of the Indonesian constitution allows the Constitution to be amended by approval of two-thirds of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). This avenue was used to introduce checks and balances against sweeping presidential power during the reform period beginning in 1998.
Prabowo said that in order to move away again from direct elections, what would be required is a "consensus of the political elite," which would include cultural, religious and labor leaders.
On the other hand, such a change would seem a far stretch from what Indonesia is today. The country has successfully positioned itself as the most democratic nation in Southeast Asia. The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index published in 2012 showed that Indonesia, overall, fared better than its neighbors in holding free and fair national elections as well as in ensuring the security of voters and civil liberties.
Furthermore, Prabowo's remarks were made in the wake of the release of comments in a 2001 off-the-record interview with US journalist Allan Nairn. Nairn, who was recounting comments from his notes – quoted Prabowo as saying that "Indonesia is not ready for democracy," because "we still have cannibals, there are violent mobs."
Nairn also wrote that Prabowo is looking to establish an "authoritarian regime" in Indonesia.
However, on June 2, Prabowo told a meeting of ambassadors that he would never try to undermine Indonesia's democratic process. "I am not proposing going back to any form of undemocratic system. It's way past us," Prabowo said. "Please be assured, I am a democrat. I believe in democracy."
Yet, Prabowo's track record has not shown him to be a pro-democracy leader. Earlier in May, 41-year-old Mugiyanto, a pro-democracy activist during the 1998 reform struggle, told Agence France-Presse about his three-day long interrogation and detainment at the hands of Prabowo's Special Forces.
"The most painful part was when I heard my friend being tortured," Mugiyanto told AFP.
On June 19, Prabowo responded to requests by Reuters for an interview, saying that they "may not challenge him on his human rights record."
In the first presidential debate – when the two tickets got a chance to ask each other questions – Prabowo seemed to lose his cool when Joko's running mate, Jusuf Kalla, tagged him over his role in the abductions and alleged involvement in the shooting deaths of student activists during the heady days of 1998, when he served as commander of the Army Strategic Reserves (Kostrad).
"I know the direction [of your question]. You're [accusing me] of not protecting human rights," Prabowo said, his tone audibly higher and his usually mellow voice straining at a higher pitch.
"You don't understand, we [military members] were stationed in difficult places, and we often had to take actions to protect the Indonesian people at large. As a soldier, we did our duties as best as we could; it was our supervisors who appraised us. I'm the staunchest defender of human rights in this country!" Prabowo flared up as he ended his speech.
Meanwhile, Joko has expressed his desire to settle the human rights abuses of 1998 should he be elected president.
Indonesia should not be burdened by its dark history, and it should be able to close the gloomy chapter in order to move on, Joko said, regarding the disappearance of prominent poet and political activist Wiji Thukul in 1998.
Joko said that cases of missing persons should be solved immediately so that the country can look to a better future. "I knew Wiji Thukul very well. He was from Solo. I know his wife and children, and that's why Wiji Thukul has to be found in whatever condition," said Joko on June 9.
Joko said that certainty is needed regarding the 13 activists who went missing in 1998 amid protests for democracy. "Yes, they have to be found. They can be found alive, they can be found dead, but certainty is needed. Whether reconciliation takes place later doesn't matter. Most importantly there should be certainty. Why is the disappearance of the 13 people still not clear after so long?" said Joko.
[This article is part of a special coverage on Indonesia's presidential election.]
Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/contrasting-claims-human-rights-democracy/.
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