With the general election now three years off, the political climate is heating up every day as politicians begin jockeying for positions, heightening the rivalry. At least three new political parties have registered with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to try their luck in the 2014 elections.
These three are the National Republican Party, the Nasdem Party and the Indonesian Sovereignty Party (PKB Indonesia). Many more are expected to register for screening in the coming year, making the best of Indonesia's burgeoning democracy.
The question is how serious are they about their participation in the 2014 elections? And how big are their chances at winning, or at least securing seats at the House of Representatives?
The National Republican Party, founded by Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the youngest son of the late dictator Soeharto, has taken the public by storm because most people never realized he was planning to form a political party. Tommy was a onetime Golkar functionary, but Golkar moved away from the Soeharto shadow to shed its image of being a legacy of the New Order regime, and to win support from reform-minded voters.
Nasdem is meant to be a political wing of National Democrats, a "social movement" organization led by media tycoon-cum-politician Surya Paloh and the revered Sultan Hemengkubuwono X of Yogyakarta. Nasdem has got dirty looks from such major political parties as Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which lost their seasoned politicians to the new organization.
PKB Indonesia is a splinter from the National Awakening Party (PKB) founded by the late charismatic Muslim cleric and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid. Led by his daughter, Yenny Wahid, PKB Indonesia is tipped to steal the show in the 2014 elections thanks to Gus Dur's charisma, which charmed millions supportive of his unwavering defense of pluralism at the heels of the growing Islamic extremism.
But the struggle to win coveted seats at the House will be extremely tough for any newcomers because the existing political parties have raised the bar so high that it will take formidable resources to attract would-be voters.
Complicating the situation further is the falling public trust in political parties, widely perceived as among the most corrupt institutions along with the House of Representatives, police and the judiciary. The new parties will have to offer more and better programs than those offered by their established rivals.
In notoriously corrupt Indonesia, money reigns supreme in everyday life, and politics is no exception. There is nothing secret about the ways the (politically and financially) powerful use their money to buy everything from votes to loyalty and "justice".
Lately, Indonesia has been witnessing politicians exploiting religious issues such as Ahmadiyah and secessionist Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) movement for personal and political gain.
Keeping in mind that the increasingly well-informed public will only vote for parties that truly defend their interests, we hope that political parties, be they old or brand new, only strive for the interests of the people through democratic means.