Elections Preparations

The Parliamentary Election (9 April 09) is still two months away yet rivalry among candidates is heating day after day.

Faces of the candidates appeared on street banners, TV, newspapers/magazines, etc. making big promises which are often confusing and boring. For example last Thursday evening, Laksamana Sukardi of Partai Demokrasi Pembaruan/PDP (Democratic Reform Party) told the audience of MetroTV about his plans, while actually the audience asked him about his achievements.
And there was the polemic between Megawati and President SBY regarding the latter’s decision to decrease fuel several times as reported by Kompas.
The latest one is the uproar caused by President SBY’s allegation that some Army and Police generals are waging Anti S campaign as reported by Detik.
Moreover, there is the verdict of the Constitutional Court which ruled that the election would be determined by majority votes, which according to The Jakarta Globe is protested by female activists who feared would lessened their chances to be elected.

This year's election is troublesome because there are 34 political parties competing, but only those which win 20% of the vote can name a candidate for the presidential election next July. Thus, although there are many people who want to be president, incl. 4 retired generals, only 2 will have a chance i.e. President SBY and former President Megawati.
On top of that, the elections would costs more than Rp 3 Trillions according to Nielsen as quoted by Kompas, which is too much to waste at a time when we are facing a global economic crisis.

As a conclusion I felt that the election candidates should do their very best to win the hearts of the people in order to be elected, and to keep their promises after they are elected.