Topic: Promoting Peaceful Post-Election Transitions
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Ryhan Nadji
School: Traverse City West High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Indonesia position papers GLIMUN 2008 committees
Experiencing its first election in June 1999, Indonesia fully understands the power a wholly democratic election can instill into the peoples of a nation, and the distress felt by citizens who are denied the right to determine the direction of their country, due to politically fueled tensions, or violence. Indonesia believes that in order for a country to provide a successful and peaceful election process and transition of power, the nation in question must be on stable ground before the election process even begins. When Indonesia was working towards its first election, we were aided tremendously by the Carter Center's mission to the promotion of peace and democracy. The Carter Center sent a team of unbiased observers to oversee the elections, and in 2004, when public opinion was unwary in regards to the government's approach to the then declining Indonesian economy, the Carter Center met with a team of election officials, political parties, and civil society and observer groups to discuss the unrest of the citizens. Together, this group of experts requested the use of international observers in order to quell the tensions, therefore allowing for a peaceful and fair election process.
Indonesia believes that this direction of attack is applicable to any nation suffering from turmoil ridden elections, not necessarily in the exact procedure, but in the deployment of unbiased third-party aid together with regards to the reactions of the civilians. When the people of a nation are unnerved, and controversial issues or people are on the ballot, the authenticity of the vote is likely to be questioned, and without the unbiased assurance of the votes' validity, conflict and violence are inevitable. Another issue that the Carter Center has worked to eliminate is the inability of the different political parties to campaign in equal manners. Whether it is because of insufficient funding, a lack of able assistants, or other factors, the playing field must be level in order for elections to be fair and peaceful. Indonesia therefore hopes that a nation's political parties could come to an agreement on the process of running for office if equality is deemed and issue.
Indonesia also recognizes that in many cases, ethnic divisions in the country are catalysts to or resultant from improperly held elections, as in the recent case in Kenya where Kikuyu and Luo tribes engaged in brutal conflict following the election of Mr. Kibaki, a Kikuyu, over his Luo opponent Raila Odinga. By following a process similar to that which occurred in Indonesia in 2004, an unbiased third-party together with Kenyan officials would consider the plight of the Kenyan people when determining the best plan of action; then, when the election occurs, the use of observers will ensure citizens that their ethnicity will not prevent their vote from being counted, allowing for a more peaceful post-election state. By following an agenda consisting of the evaluation of the current social state by officials of the nation and a third party, who will assess and enact upon any necessary changes in the electoral process, followed by an election which is observed by a non-partisan body, each nation will be able to experience the true meaning of democracy while remaining peaceful just as Indonesia did four years ago.
