---------------------------------------------------------- FREE for JOIN Indonesia Daily News Online via EMAIL: go to: http://www.indo-news.com/subscribe.html - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - FREE - Dengan mengClick banner sponsor anda menyumbang Rp. 1000,- untuk HomePage IndoNews. ---------------------------------------------------------- SUPANGKAT'S COLUMN: WHY IS THE INDONESIAN ELECTION "ANTISOCIAL"? Social collectivism overcome Why is the Indonesian election "antisocial"? Our society in the whole archipelago is based on Social Collectivism and Brotherhood. That is why we address each other "Bapak" (Father), "Ibu" (Mother). "Saudara" (Brother). "Saudari" (Sister). We are personal people, our relationship is personal, sometimes too person- al. General Ali Murtopo destroyed the political and social system and replaced it with the curent system where people has to elect political parties instead of the party's people like we have in the Unitedd States and all over the world except for the communist world (Cuba, China, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, even Kamboja under Hun Sen). It has been impersonal, antisocial. No candidate for Legislative The impersonal or rather the antisocial system lasted and is being perpetuated by the current regime of Presiden Habibie who is supposed to conduct an open and free election. The system is a mockery to the very basic traditional values of the collective consciousness of the society because we have to elect a non-person political party who in turn will appoint their candidates. There is no candidate now. It makes politics so abominable. However, the Indonesians in general, the Java- nese and the Sundanese in particular are soft-hearted people, when they are facing tyrranical suppression, they would acquiesce rather than fighting back. But deep in their heart they resented them. The soft-hearted folks The Dutch called us "Het zachtste volk ter aarde" (The most soft-hearted folks on earth). No wonder, I am the only creature to protest the antisocial election system in Indonesia, mainly because I lived in the US for the past 27 years. This is not democracy, instead it is a "democrazy", unless the people be given the chance to get to know their candidates to be elected. Would an American elect the party, either the Democrat or the Republican if there were no humanly tangible candidates who would be appointed later after voting by the parties? This is inconceivable! Good Lord, have mercy on the Indonesian people. WE don't deserved this. H.S. Hidayat Supangkat Freelance journalist in the US ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Didistribusikan tgl. 25 Mar 1999 jam 18:41:35 GMT+1 oleh: Indonesia Daily News Online <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> http://www.Indo-News.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
