Indonesian legislative election, 1997
Encyclopedia
Legislative elections were held in Indonesia
on 29 May 1997. There were actually three elections in one as voters were electing members of two levels of regional government as well as the House of Representatives
. This was to be the last election of President Suharto's New Order
regime, which collapsed a year later. Like the preceding New Order elections, it was won outright by the Golkar
organization.
(PPP), the Indonesian Democratic Party
(PDI) and Golkar
(functional group), an organisation which started off as a confederation of NGOs, and was officially not a party.
newspaper only reported on Golkar
campaign activities, and did not mention the PDI or PPP campaigns at all. On the other hand, the daily Media Indonesia was rather more balanced, but overall, Golkar campaign speakers received far more coverage.
In the later stages of the campaign, media coverage was dominated by reports of campaign violence. Suara Karya in particular reported three times as many violent incidents involving the PPP than any other paper.
by Soeryadi at the party's 1996 Medan
conference, the PDI tried hard to put forward an independent image. Meanwhile, many of Megawati's supporters gravitated towards the PPP, in a phenomenon known as the "Mega-Bintang" coalition. Bintang means "star", and was the symbol of the PPP. This was an entirely unexpected occurrence. Megawati was seen as representing secular politics, while the PPP was an Islamic party, but the two found common ground as a coalition of the oppressed.
PPP officials explicitly rejected the term "coalition", and said the increase in their support was a symbol of the revival of their party. However, posters and symbols carried by Megawati supporters made it clear what the "Mega-Bintang" coalition really meant. The government then banned the use of "Mega-Bintang" posters and symbols, saying it was contrary to election regulation. This ban was used by the security forces as an excuse to remove all such symbols.
More than 200 people died during the course of the campaign, mostly in road traffic accidents and through being trapped in burning buildings during the disturbances in Banjarmasin
.
There were also disputes between employees, who wanted voters to cast their ballots at their places of work, and local government officials, who wanted them to vote near their homes, as each wanted to ensure they met their responsibility to achieve their quota of Golkar votes.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on 29 May 1997. There were actually three elections in one as voters were electing members of two levels of regional government as well as the House of Representatives
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
. This was to be the last election of President Suharto's New Order
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
regime, which collapsed a year later. Like the preceding New Order elections, it was won outright by the Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
organization.
Participants
Indonesian law at the time only allowed three organisations to participate in elections - the United Development PartyUnited Development Party
The United Development Party , sometimes translated as Development Unity Party is a political party in Indonesia. It is an islamic party and currently led by Suryadharma Ali.-Origins:...
(PPP), the Indonesian Democratic Party
Indonesian Democratic Party
The Indonesian Democratic Party was one of the two state-approved parties during the New Order era of the late 20th-century in Indonesia.-Origins:...
(PDI) and Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
(functional group), an organisation which started off as a confederation of NGOs, and was officially not a party.
Election campaign
The 27-day campaign ran from April 27 to May 23, with a quiet period of five days before polling day.Media coverage
The mass media tended to favour "a particular election participant" (Kristiadi et al., p84), for example Suara KaryaSuara Karya
Suara Karya is a daily newspaper published in Indonesia. Established in 1971 to assist Golkar in winning that year's legislative election, it became required reading for all civil servants and the voice of Golkar. After its circulation increased from 55,700 in 1971 to 300,000 in 1998, the fall of...
newspaper only reported on Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
campaign activities, and did not mention the PDI or PPP campaigns at all. On the other hand, the daily Media Indonesia was rather more balanced, but overall, Golkar campaign speakers received far more coverage.
In the later stages of the campaign, media coverage was dominated by reports of campaign violence. Suara Karya in particular reported three times as many violent incidents involving the PPP than any other paper.
Campaign issues
Not a single election participant started the campaign by announcing or focusing on its main themes, therefore the public really had no idea what they were offering. The campaign was dominated by "sloganistic issues" with very little substance (Kristiadi et al. p82). For example, all three election participants promised to address problems such as poverty and corruption, but none actually said how they would do this. In fact, Kristiadi says that the only difference between this campaign and the previous one in 1992 was that there was less use of verses from the Koran to try and attract support.The "Mega-Bintang Phenomenon"
Following the government's forced replacement of PDI leader Megawati SukarnoputriMegawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
by Soeryadi at the party's 1996 Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
conference, the PDI tried hard to put forward an independent image. Meanwhile, many of Megawati's supporters gravitated towards the PPP, in a phenomenon known as the "Mega-Bintang" coalition. Bintang means "star", and was the symbol of the PPP. This was an entirely unexpected occurrence. Megawati was seen as representing secular politics, while the PPP was an Islamic party, but the two found common ground as a coalition of the oppressed.
PPP officials explicitly rejected the term "coalition", and said the increase in their support was a symbol of the revival of their party. However, posters and symbols carried by Megawati supporters made it clear what the "Mega-Bintang" coalition really meant. The government then banned the use of "Mega-Bintang" posters and symbols, saying it was contrary to election regulation. This ban was used by the security forces as an excuse to remove all such symbols.
Campaign participants
According to Kristiadi et al., there were three types of people who took part in the campaigns:- People ordered to do so or who were after money, or who wanted to see the entertainers laid on at rallies
- People who voluntarily attended because they were proud to support their organisation
- Young people releasing energy
More than 200 people died during the course of the campaign, mostly in road traffic accidents and through being trapped in burning buildings during the disturbances in Banjarmasin
Banjarmasin
Banjarmasin is the capital of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is located on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. As a result, Banjarmasin is sometimes called the "River City"...
.
Intimidation and other irregularities
There were reports in the press of intimidation and “buying support”, for example pressure on teachers to urge older high school students (the minimum voting age was 18) to vote for "a particular election participant" (Kristiadi et al., p82) with a 'reward' for compliance and 'punishment' for failure. There were also other reports of known PPP and PDI supporters being intimidated.There were also disputes between employees, who wanted voters to cast their ballots at their places of work, and local government officials, who wanted them to vote near their homes, as each wanted to ensure they met their responsibility to achieve their quota of Golkar votes.
Results
| Province | PPP | Golkar | PDI | Votes | % | Votes | % | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aceh | 668,802 | 31.86% | 1,360,379 | 64.81% | 69,993 | 3.33% | North Sumatra | 742,958 | 12.84% | 4,648,928 | 80.33% | 395,583 | 6.84% | West Sumatra | 188,168 | 7.74% | 2,214,666 | 91.15% | 26,958 | 1.11% | Riau | 313,013 | 13.77% | 1,879,977 | 82.70% | 80,232 | 3.53% | Jambi | 76,964 | 5.90% | 1,208,090 | 92.58% | 19,889 | 1.52% | South Sumatra | 446,792 | 11.30% | 3,361,164 | 84.98% | 147,131 | 3.72% | Bengkulu | 30,344 | 3.85% | 747,140 | 94.77% | 10,903 | 1.38% | Lampung | 177,244 | 4.82% | 3,424,949 | 93.21% | 72,156 | 1.96% | Jakarta | 2,239,418 | 32.87% | 4,451,503 | 65.34% | 121,931 | 1.79% | West Java | 6,003,471 | 25.99% | 16,709,824 | 72.34% | 386938 | 1.68% | Central Java | 4,961,280 | 29.01% | 11,671,667 | 68.26% | 466,840 | 2.73% | Yogyakarta | 602,739 | 34.22% | 1,102,256 | 62.58% | 56,487 | 3.21% | East Java | 6,791,399 | 33.89% | 12,620,089 | 62.97% | 630,708 | 3.15% | West Kalimantan | 281,992 | 15.14% | 1,298,746 | 69.72% | 282035 | 15.14% | Central Kalimantan | 95,736 | 9.83% | 843,065 | 86.60% | 34717 | 3.57% | East Kalimantan | 272,961 | 23.66% | 807,678 | 70.02% | 72,902 | 6.32% | South Kalimantan | 406,719 | 25.15% | 1,164,085 | 71.98% | 46471 | 2.87% | Bali | 60,779 | 3.28% | 1,727,810 | 93.21% | 65,044 | 3.51% | West Nusatenggara | 268,022 | 14.56% | 1,484,697 | 80.66% | 87913 | 4.78% | East Nusatenggara | 29,667 | 1.51% | 1,867,339 | 94.94% | 69880 | 3.55% | East Timor | 7,188 | 1.82% | 334,718 | 84.70% | 53,296 | 13.49% | South Sulawesi | 322,308 | 7.34% | 4,023,937 | 91.63% | 45,377 | 1.03% | Central Sulawesi | 114,748 | 10.39% | 937,551 | 84.89% | 52,175 | 4.72% | North Sulawesi | 42,018 | 2.44% | 1,648,075 | 95.90% | 28521 | 1.66% | Southeast Sulawesi | 17,498 | 2.07% | 822,163 | 97.22% | 6033 | 0.71% | Maluku | 140,604 | 12.98% | 888,948 | 82.07% | 53,637 | 4.95% | Irian Jaya | 38,196 | 3.62% | 938,463 | 88.86% | 79476 | 7.53% | TOTALS | 25,341,028 | 22.43% | 84,187,907 | 74.51% | 3,463,226 | 3.07% |