Vote or Die?

As we all knew already, the 2014 Indonesian legislative election will be held in today on 9 April 2014 to elect 132 members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), 560 members of the People's Representative Council (DPR) and members of regional assemblies at the provincial and regency/municipality level. For eligible voters residing outside Indonesia, election had already been held on 5 or 6 April 2014 based on the decision of electoral commission of each different countries.

In theory, nearly 190m Indonesians out of a population of about 250m are eligible to go to the polls on today to elect a new parliament. The election commission has printed 775m ballot papers and shipped them to 550,000 polling stations scattered across the sprawling archipelago’s 900-odd settled islands.

Once the votes are counted, the General Elections Commission will eliminate any party that has failed to obtain a 3.5% share of the national vote. It will then allocate seats in the People's Representative Council via a two-stage process. First the number of votes to secure one DPR seat in each electoral district will be calculated by dividing the number of valid votes by the number of seats to be elected in each district. Each party's vote in each district will be divided by this amount to determine the number of seats won outright. Any party with less than this amount will win no seats in this first stage. The remaining votes will then be used to determine which party wins any seats so far unallocated by awarding these seats to the parties with the largest remainders until all seats are allocated.

Now, the question is; do you vote?

Well, to be honest with you, I don’t. I really am not a big fan of any election thingy. But the euphoria caught my attention like no others, but not in a good meaning. Am sorry, I have to admit that I found this political drama was a little bit dumb. Seeing all of those supporters support their parties and or candidates forcing me to laugh in bitter way. And when one of once dominated party claimed their candidate for Presidential was the Indonesian ‘Obama’, I was like, “What the…” - I mean, seriously, what were they thinking? Firstly, why Obama? Not that is against him, but I definitely not a big fan either. I know, I know…I might be the only one who thought that Obama wasn’t ready yet when he got elected and I was right, aren’t I?

No, we are not going to talk about Obama here. That was so 2008, I was so two thousands and late. Hah. But yeah, you can say that am amongst those who named themselves as ‘White Bracket’ or popular as ‘Golput’ – abbreviation for Golongan Putih, people who either does not vote or void their ballots -- refuse to take part in the country's elections.

So what exactly is Golput, and to what extent can Golput be credited with impacting voter turnout and election results in Indonesia?

Golput first emerged as a form of protest vote in the early 1970s during Indonesia’s New Order — at a time when rigged elections ensured victory for the ruling Golkar party. The word Golput, an intentional skewer of Golkar, is an abbreviation of Golongan Putih, or white group/party — referring to protest marking or non-marking of the ballot, rendering that ballot invalid. At that time and under those political conditions, Golput was a powerful symbol of protest.

But times have changed. In 1999, during the first post-Suharto elections, 48 political parties registered to compete. While this number has declined over time to 12 at present, plus three local parties in Aceh, voters do have some degree of choice. Freedom of expression has improved notably since 1999 — as has transparency and accountability of election administration (and subsequent public scrutiny of elections). And during the past few years, there has been an explosion of media through which citizens can express their political dissatisfaction.

Within this changing political landscape, the definition of Golput has been stretched in different directions and to suit different arguments. Some define Golput as the non-exercising of one’s right to vote. Others maintain the “protest primacy” of Golput but include within it informed and intentional abstention. Often, it is used as a grab-bag for all non-votes, from voters who do not vote, to those who cast invalid ballots. Each of these interpretations of Golput runs counter to its roots. In Indonesia’s reform era, Golput has all but lost relevance. What who was once a proud statement of defiance is now a banner headline for declining voter turnout?

Alright, I think it is time for us to cut off all the bullsh*ts. I, myself, chose to become a Golput simply because I have no interest whatsoever in politics. I found it full of dramas and it was kind of a joke in my opinion. But I supported it when the government decided the D day to become a National Holiday though, hah! I mean, like seriously, today I watched something phenomenal in my apartment compound. Everyone, mostly Indonesian, gather in the restaurant, turned the place into a karaoke club, singing along, drinking together, and partying like it was nothing important happened. No one even bother to use their vote. I guess the slogan ‘Vote or Die’ means nothing here. It is more like, ‘No Vote and Stay Alive’. Ha!