On the streets during the 1997 Elections 1997-05-01 The atmosphere on the streets during the 1997 elections was quite different to that in 1992. That
year the atmosphere was a kind of rebellious joy. In 1997 the atmosphere might best be
categorised as sullen resignation.
The mask of respectability which the New Order had long sought to promote – certainly to the
urban middle classes, had been peeled back most violently with the goons mobilised to raid PDI
HQ on 27 July 1996 in order to force the removal of Megawati as General Chair of this party.
Indeed as noted in earlier reports (June 1994 and Mar 1994), the Government’s performance in
managing the political dynamics of the country had been, at times, quite woeful and its response
overly heavy handed – the picture of sledge hammers and ants rather springs to mind. While
such tactics might have still worked in rural areas far from TV cameras and the emerging
chattering classes, the use of such tactics in the big urban areas was less effective and tended to
provide fuel to subsequent protest for a later era.
The scale of the street parades was not much different or smaller than in earlier elections, except
those for PDI, which were a little limp.
As in the election of 1992, one still gained the impression being amongst the crowd that even
these election campaigns still played a role of letting people let off steam.
The sullen atmosphere gave a sharper edge to the knife edge than was felt in 1992. The fact that
these elections also degenerated into considerable violence with several hundred people losing
their lives was perhaps not surprising.
What did it mean?
Setting aside the sullen atmosphere of 1997, I would say the same thing about the dynamics of
these elections as in 1992. This is as follows:
While the general atmosphere was clearly one of [joy and] “letting your hair down” there was at
the same time a very clear awareness that the atmosphere was actually knife edge. Flashing the
wrong finger signals (that is for another party) was very clearly understood to be the last thing
one would ever do and live to talk about it. Even I sensed that. So if it was PPP or Golkar or
PDI the right fingers went up on the right day.
At the time of the election I wondered why this knife edge atmosphere should exist – so happy
but could so easily turn so nasty. At the time I thought that the reason related to a couple of
factors: These notes were put together in June 2008: some 11 years after the events of the 1997 elections. The notes
represents my clearest recollections and impressions of the time.
