The Drama is Finally Over

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/08/26/your-letters-the-drama-finally-over.html

The Drama is Finally Over

Finally, the heart- thumping drama is over. As the Constitutional Court presiding Chief Judge, Hamdan Zoelva, struck the gavel to mark the final and binding verdict, the victor in the Presidential Election is no longer disputable. The Court has reinforced and legalized Jokowi-Kalla pair as President and Vice President in the next five years in line with the General Election Commission’s (KPU) decision. Despite the increasing tension outside the court, in which the mob wrought havoc, facts and truth are honored and triumphed. Every charge from Prabowo's protracted legal challenge of the legitimacy and constitutionality over the electoral result is rejected. This shows a victory for the nation's arduous journey toward stronger rules of law and democracy. This is the victory of the people, a new beginning in the chapter of our history.

Further, this is also the end of the noisiest democracy in Indonesia. For the past four months, the political hullabaloo has created nuisances that turned friends into enemies, lovers into nemesis, kin into opposite warring tribes, and neighbors into foes. The polarity has weirdly affecting personal relationship by turning many a sheet on a lover’s bed cold, and froze the warm coffee of a friendly chat. Such nuisances invades in the social medias as well as tweets relating to unfriend”, “unfollow”, “block” or “unshare” spiked during these exhausting months. With the final verdict, it is hoped that the rifts can be mend and scars can be healed.

However, although the Red and White Coalition have expressed their acceptance of the court ruling, the poisoning dissatisfaction is still high in the air. At the press conference, the spokesperson said, “Even though the Coalition accepts the verdict, we insist that the decision does not reflect substantive justice nor truth in Indonesia." Neither Prabowo nor Hatta was present. The groan of discontents is masked in rhetoric words.

There was no concession speech to woe their supporters to support the new government. It was no more than an inevitable bitter acknowledgement of court ruling acceptance. It is regrettable that the losing pair did not even congratulate the winner in reconciliatory notion. The gesture to uphold political ethics is met with cold shoulder.

They failed to learn from the maturity of their constituents. Instead of expressing words of wisdom to seal the wound and scars left by the rift in the grassroots, the élites keeps throwing inflammatory statements, which is not conducive to mend the loosening knots of the people’s unity.

I just shook my head in disbelief. I should have known better! Indonesia is indeed in dire need of good politicians and statesmen. The shenanigans of power-lust politicians are nauseating. They have suffered insurmountable deficit of trust from the people.

Perhaps, this is one of the many reasons why there are more and more people hate politics and politicians. The legislative body’s corrupt image is hard to erase with the increasing politicians and lawmakers arrested for alleged corrupt practices. Their recent acrobatic foolish movements worsen their already tainted image.

We still remember vividly how their unscrupulous use of their political authority for personal gain destroyed any credibility in the House. We will not easily forget their tolerance of corruption and moves to undermine the fight against corruption as evident in the House’s support for bills to weaken the KPK. Politicians constantly and publicly dress up the frailties of petty politicking, tedious tribalism, gossip and self-interest as humble public service. Such hypocrisy is rarely good for their credibility. As an old saying goes, “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”

This nation craves for honorable politicians, figures who create good examples for the implementation of honorable politics and democracy. Figures who work very hard for their constituents and in the national interest for the good of the country and never get a gratis peerage from a thankful nation at the end of their careers.

We are thankful that amid this spine-tingling drama and worsening political behaviors of the elite, Indonesian people come out mature as a growing democratic nation. There’s no political uprising and disastrous horizontal conflicts such as in Egypt, Thailand or Pakistan just to name a few. Indonesian people have exercised their rights to vote and voice their concerns in this electoral feast with high degree of responsibility resulted in a peaceful general election. Along with the General Election Commission (KPU), they safeguard a fair and transparent election. The Indonesian Army is also responsible for the smooth process of the deliberation of the MK ruling, thus should be praised for their neutrality to safeguard our democracy so that unnecessary violence and bloodshed could be avoided.

It is now time to open the new chapter, leaving the old ones behind. It is time to move on and continue to keep safeguard the new government in delivering their promise. Many hopes pin on the the winning pair.

We realize that having the new elect President will not make problems disappear in a blink of an eye from this nation. The increasing current account deficit threatening the economic stability due to the ballooning fuel subsidy, the growing intolerance in society, and the deforestation are just a few problems to tackle.

There’s no guarantee that Jokowi-Kalla will succeed to overcome these problems and bring Indonesia into a much better and stronger nation. But, the Indonesian people have given their trust for the pair as they are too fed up with the politicking of dishonor politicians. They rest their hopes in the new elect Presidenta. Thus, Jokowi-Kalla should not disappoint the people and do their best to bring Indonesia for the better.