Season of change for world’s democracies
Credit to Author: THE MANILA TIMES| Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2019 16:13:03 +0000
THE official results of the April 17 Indonesian election will not be available for about a month, but unless the ballots yet to be counted spring a surprise (very unlikely), Indonesian President Joko Widodo is expected to win a second term.
Over the coming months a number of other elections in some of the world’s most important democracies are scheduled to be held, which may lead to sweeping changes in the global political order.
Although Widodo was expected to again top rival Prabowo Subianto, he was not seen as invulnerable; rising food prices and a rising current account deficit — largely the result of a massive infrastructure development push that has progressed more slowly than was expected — gave Prabowo and his party ammunition to attack Widodo on economic grounds that resonated with ordinary voters.
Prabowo’s attempt to style himself as an outsider did not quite work; he is, after all, a former general who was once married to the daughter of former Indonesian strongman Suharto. Nevertheless, his party is likely to have made inroads into the country’s legislature and local governments, and this will have a noticeable impact on Indonesia’s economy and political climate over the next few years.
Regardless of the outcome, Indonesia deserves some praise for the way it conducted its election. It was a massive undertaking; there were some 190 million eligible voters and more than 800,000 polling stations, and voters were choosing from among 245,000 candidates vying for 20,000 elective offices. With a budget reported to be about $1.75 billion, the government managed to conduct the election peacefully and with very few reports of problems.
That does not seem to be the case in India, which has also begun its uniquely complicated national election process. Already there has been a rash of campaign violations, scattered incidents of violence and accusations of cheating, mostly directed against the party of incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who appears to be fighting for his political life despite leading the world’s fastest-growing economy.
Other key democracies that will hold elections in the near future include Australia, which has set its federal election for May 18, just five days after the Philippines’ midterm elections; Canada, where voters appear to be growing weary of the liberal administration of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and will cast their votes in October; Taiwan, with its presidential election set for January 2020; and the United States, where campaigning by no fewer than a dozen Democratic candidates seeking to oust President Donald Trump has already begun ahead of the November 2020 polls.
In one sense it is heartening that the will of the people determines who shall lead in much of the world. However, the outcomes of these democratic contests might result in sweeping changes, not only within the various countries, but in terms of international political and economic relations.
Our own leaders will not only be coming to terms with some changes in the political landscape and attitudes here, but potentially significant changes in policy elsewhere in key areas such as climate change response, trade, migration, foreign investment and relations with China.
Uncertainty is never desirable, but it is an unavoidable outcome of the democratic process, and we should not be unduly alarmed by it. So long as our leaders act thoughtfully and place the country’s larger interests ahead of their own, we will be able to adapt to the changes in the world and turn uncertainty into opportunities.
The post Season of change for world’s democracies appeared first on The Manila Times Online.