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Muslim-majority Indonesia set for polls
JAKARTA, April 15, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Dipping their fingers in halal ink to
prevent double voting, Indonesians cast their ballots Wednesday in a bitterly
contested presidential election, with the main rival to incumbent Joko Widodo
already threatening to challenge the result over voter-fraud claims.
The Muslim-majority nation’s biggest-ever polls — with more than 190
million voters and 245,000 candidates vying for the presidency, parliament
and local positions — is largely a referendum on Widodo’s infrastructure-
driven bid to rev up Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
But, looming in the background, two decades of democratic gains are at risk
of being eroded, analysts said, as the military creeps back into civilian
life under Widodo, and his trailing rival Prabowo Subianto, a former general,
eyes reforms that harken back to the Suharto dictatorship.
If he loses, Subianto’s camp has already warned it will challenge the
results over voter-list irregularities.
“It’s high stakes in this election,” said Evan Laksmana, a senior
researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International
Studies.
“We simply don’t know what (Subianto) would do if he won and we don’t know
if the institutional constraints in place would contain him.”
– Halal ink –
Voting starts at 7:00 am local time Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday) in
easternmost Papua and ends at 1:00 pm at the other end of the country in
Sumatra.
Ballots will be cast at more than 800,000 polling booths across the
volcano-dotted country, from the tip of jungle-clad Sumatra and heavily
populated Java island to beach paradise Bali and far-flung Sumbawa.
Voters will punch holes in ballots — to make clear their candidate choice
— and then dip a finger in Muslim-approved halal ink, a measure to prevent
double-voting in a graft-riddled country where ballot buying is rife.
A series of so-called “quick counts” are expected to give a reliable
indication of the presidential winner later Wednesday. Official results are
not expected until May.
Most polls show the 57-year-old Widodo holding a double-digit lead over
Subianto, 67, setting up a repeat of their 2014 contest, which Widodo won
despite an unsuccessful court challenge over his narrow victory.
The race has been punctuated by bitter mudslinging between the two camps,
religion-driven identity politics and a slew of fake news online that
threatens to sway millions of undecided voters.
– ‘Pragmatism over principle’-
Widodo campaigned on his ambitious drive to build roads, airports and other
infrastructure, including Jakarta’s first mass-rapid-transit system.
But his rights record has been criticised owing to an uptick in
discriminatory attacks on religious and other minorities, including a small
LGBT community, as Islamic hardliners become more vocal in public life.
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“(Widodo) has chosen pragmatism over principle on issues of Islamism and
pluralism,” said Dave McRae, a senior lecturer at the University of
Melbourne’s Asia Institute.
Widodo, a practising Muslim, blunted criticism that he was anti-Islam by
appointing influential cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate.
But victory for Widodo and Amin — known for his disparaging views towards
minorities — could be the latest knock to Indonesia’s reputation for
moderate Islam.
“There is a longstanding track record of very conservative views,” Kevin
O’Rourke, an Indonesia-based political risk analyst, said of Amin.
“It’s inevitable that will affect policy making.”
Subianto — joined by running mate Sandiaga Uno, a 49-year-old wealthy
financier — has run on a fiery nationalist ticket.
He courted Islamic hardliners, promised a boost to military and defence
spending and, taking a page from US President Donald Trump, vowed to put
“Indonesia first” as he pledged to review billions of dollars in Chinese
investment.
Subianto’s presidential ambitions have long been dogged by strong ties to
the Suharto family and a chequered past.
He ordered the abduction of democracy activists as the authoritarian regime
collapsed in 1998, and was accused of committing atrocities in East Timor.
– ‘Low probability, high impact’ –
Widodo’s own cabinet is stuffed with Suharto-era figures, and he raised
eyebrows by agreeing to give civilian government jobs to military brass.
But “there is no grand design for Jokowi to bring back military rule”,
Laksmana said.
Subianto, however, is a military man keen to roll back reforms that ushered
in direct presidential elections, analysts said.
That has raised questions about what an upset victory for the retired
general could mean for a system that is supported by most Indonesians.
“Democracy itself would be very much at stake,” O’Rourke said.
“This is a low probability scenario, but one with very high impact.”
Many Indonesians just want a peaceful power transition — regardless of the
winner.
“I hope there’s no hostility,” said 53-year-old Untung Sri Rejeki.
“No matter who becomes our next president.”
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