ABSTRACT
Since Indonesia declared its independence in 1945, it has held nine national legislative elections at five-yearly intervals beginning in 1955 (1971, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2004) and one national direct presidential election (2004). Of these, only the first was held during the ‘Old Order’ of Soekarno (1945-66), six were held during the New Order of Soeharto (196698) and two have been held since his removal from office. I was in Indonesia for seven of these (1971-99) legislative elections and the first round of the 2004 presidential election. This is actually more often than I have been present during or participated in elections in a country, Australia, where I myself can vote. Unlike the other writers in this volume, I am writing about the Indonesian elections as a non-voter, and my observations of the elections are comments of an outsider to the ballot box. I know that my voice (suara, in Indonesian the word for ‘voice’ is the same as for ‘vote’) is not counted. This chapter focuses primarily on Indonesia’s first-ever direct presidential election, the first round of which was held in July 2004 (the final run-off between the two finalists followed in September), but also refers both to the legislative election held three months earlier in April, and comparatively to earlier election practice.
