The Abstention Phenomenon as Impact of Pessimism
The Indonesian general election that already held on April 9th still leaves many problems. With 171 millions voters and 44 political parties contesting 560 seats on a party political basis for DPR (House Representative Council), 132 seats on an individual basis for the DPD (Regional Representative Council) for 33 provinces and 18.000 local government seats, this was a formidable logistics exercise.
Of course there were problems, including faulty voting list, the wrong ballot papers in the wrong areas, late arrival of wrong ballots in the remote areas, and attempts of voting by impersonators, the dead and the born and also there were many election fraud including vote selling, bribery, free lunches, and also followed by heavy rainfall and floods. From those reasons automatically influence the stump in voter turnout.
Many experts and researcher agree that this years elections were more poorly attended than in the 2004 polls. The number of abstention was increase. Many researchers record that the abstention rates of 28 percent, up from 25 percent in 2004. It means that almost 40% Indonesian society gave a pessimism signals to the government. Most of them were so hopeless with the unstable political situations in Indonesia. Most of them think that washing their hands of politics is better than participate in politics. For them, join in politics or not can’t change their condition because almost year by year everybody know the number of corruption, the number of poverty, the number of education problems and many more the government homework’s which are have not solved yet till now.
Then . . . let’s face it! In fact, there were thousands of people around Indonesian country wait for their bright future, their social welfare to get such a better condition for their life. But as we know the government can’t do more for their expectations. The governments just can seats in their comfort chairs with a millions of salary without concern about poverty condition. In addition, vote abstentions also caused by political reason. Many people were fed up with voting list and election logistic. Multy-party system was so confused and there were many election frauds such a money politics occurred everywhere. There were many leaders of every party blames each other.
As a part of common people I can’t go along with the idea that the abstention is a good solution, but in fact a can’t blame the people who choose the abstention way in this general election, because their reason were so rational.
How do they choose an unfamiliar candidate who comes from many parties?
How do they believe with the candidate?
Absolutely, it was so difficult condition, so I can conclude that the only solution to reduce the abstention is CHANGE. Change here has many definitions. Firstly, change in system. Is better if the participant in the next general election only ten parties not multy-party as now. Second, change in mentoring, it means that the party should be clever when doing campaign without make many politics or bad tricks. Third, change in trusts, it means that the government must improve their work. I have an opinion, they must follow FAWT rules (Full Action Without Talk) to fight corruption to increase Indonesian economics and make a stable politic condition etc. and last but not least, the government must concern with their society condition not only seats in their comfort chairs but they also have to go around looking at their society.
