Are We Voting or What?

“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.” That’s what Abe Lincoln said and what your average 5th grader would answer if you ask them what democracy is. An important part of democracy is the election of the people’s representatives, plus a direct election of the leader in some cases. In Indonesian context, we often call our elections “pesta demokrasi” or “the celebration of democracy”, whether we are looking for the new class president, student’s senate leader, or the big kahuna called Presiden Republik Indonesia.

I turned 17 in April last year, which means I am a young tech-savvy first-time voter, the class of voter glorified by the Obama campaign. As the word “voter” implies, I will be a first-time voter only after I give my vote to the man/woman I trust to sit in the comfy chair in the Parliament. However, my dream has been on the verge of destruction since I found out my family wasn’t registered as voters. I discovered this months ago. At that time I ignored it because the list of voters was just the temporary one, and the news frequently said that the General Elections Committee (KPU) was actively updating voter data. So I waited, and waited, and waited, and still, my name is not on that list. If I’m the only one in the family to not be registered, I wouldn’t be so surprised; but until today, my whole family has not been listed yet. Both of my parents, and grandparents for that matter, voted in the 1999 and 2004 elections with no hassle. Thus, it was truly shocking to find out that even they are not registered to vote in the coming election.

Even if I’m sad for not being registered, I won’t be alone. The current KPU has been blasted numerous times for doing such a sloppy work, including missing out on hundred-thousands of voters from Sabang to Merauke. Estimates always vary; but ideally, even one person who lost his right to vote is one too many. Those who vote will get a laughably ginormous ballot (40 parties with multiple candidates in each voting district), the system on who gets the Parliament seat is not fixed yet, and the last news I heard was that the ballots, after they’re folded, don’t fit the ballot box. Surprised? Oh come on. If you’re suprised by those stuffs, you are not an Indonesian.

Now, suppose I will be registered next month and I will be allowed to vote for members of the Parliament this April, I won’t know what to do when I get into that voting booth. The usual method of casting our votes is by perforating the ballot anywhere within the valid area. The process is so deeply rooted in our minds that, in fact, the term “mencoblos” (perforating, punching out) has become a synonim of voting. In election season, people proudly say that they’re going to coblos this and coblos that. Parties and candidates also joined in the coblos craze. The current Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, was known for his “Coblos Kumisnye” (punch out his moustache) slogan. PDI-P frequently uses “Coblos Moncong Putih” (punch out the white nose of PDI P’s iconic ox). I bet that in every province, there’s a candidate running with the coblos theme.

Suddenly, the KPU is trying to turn things around, if not mess them up altogether. The Committee is trying to introduce a new, hip way to vote: marking the ballot, affectionately known as “mencontreng” or “menandai”. No, contreng sounds more fun. Voters will cast their vote by making any kind of line with a pen on the ballot-in the valid area, of course. Yet, official simulations consistently show that people still prever to coblos their ballots. The trend led to predictions that a huge number of ballots will be invalid in the coming elections.

Just face it. The KPU hasn’t done anything real to inform voters that they must tick the ballot to vote. The news about this change has been floating around since months ago; however, KPU has never made it clear whether mencontreng is the right way to vote or not. The latest development (if it hasn’t changed too) is that the KPU will allow people to either coblos or contreng. An act of desperation?

I’m an Indonesian citizen, and I have reached the age to vote. I love my country, and I firmly believe in democracy. I want to exercise my right to vote for my representative in the Parliament and to elect my President through the direct election. Sadly, I’m not registered and I’m terribly confused. For now, the question is “Are we voting or what?”

The Great Jakarta Flood, Part X

I’m not the most creative person in the world, but I think it’s true that almost anything under the sun can be a source of inspiration. The rain, for example, has sparked tons of contemplations and poems and songs. (Can you hear “ella…ella…e…e…” playing in the background?) Coupled with human stupidity stubbornness, it has brilliantly inspired me to write.

We, as in Jakartans, have been experiencing massive rains in recent days. So very sadly, we expect that the roads will be flooded and traffic clogged. We just know that many residential areas will be unnecessarily irrigated and schools washed with icky-brown water. It is ironic frequently hear jokes like this one: “The flood water has entered my house, but only up to my ankles…on the second floor.” Oh dammit, we are living in the biggest kampung in the world.

It doesn’t take a genius to remember that Jakarta has a special annual agenda: flood. Plus, every five years we get the special flood like the one in 2002 and 2007. If each flood were a newspaper, those 5-yearly floods would be the weekend editions. One particular day in the 2007 Great Flood, I went to school and only about a fifth of the 30-strong class was there; the same thing happened in the other 3 classes, even merging classes would have been similarly absurd. In that case, the culprit wasn’t the flood itself –my school was as dry as Tukul’s jokes-, but it was the flood’s severe side effects on everything else. Anyway, the flood literally paralyzed the proud capital city of Indonesia and all its gold-paved streets.

For any of you who in 2007 thought that we cannot go lower than that, you obviously thought wrong. The great flood is coming again, and Noah isn’t around to build us a nice ark to float on.

Let’s get straight to the point and not blame Noah, or God for this matter. When will the city council realize that they have to stop pouring concrete and asphalt on Jakarta’s rare green spaces? Malls are fun and all, but its growth has surpassed all expectations. I bet even the craziest mall-goers would say that it’s too much. Additionally, when the council said that they’re building public parks for the citizen, they don’t seem to have the same image of a “park” compared to ours. Their “parks” are serpentine jogging tracks, plazas, and gazebos, with tiny blots of grass and non-shady trees here and there. To avoid any disappointment, just don’t dream of actually taking off your shoes to walk on the lush carpet of green grass, let alone have a picnic.

As a result, we have to endure the same ordeal year after year. Common stories aside, I have heard stories about residents who prepare themselves with rubber boats. Others chose just silently accept their fate, while those trapped in traffic can only grumble.

Although I’m no city planning expert, I believe that something can be done to alleviate the impacts of our floods in short term and prevent any flood altogether sometime in the near future. More green spaces for water absorption and for leisure are always welcome. So are improvements for the city’s drainage system. Even though we live in the concrete jungle, we still have to respect the natural environment, or whatever is left of it.