Indonesia Votes!

Over the last 10 years, Indonesia has undergone nothing short of a total transformation. From total collapse in the last days of Suharto, to violence and mass destruction (in East Timor) under Habibie, to periods of uncertainty under Gus Dur and Megawati, and finally to a stable, peaceful democracy under SBY. The war in Aceh is over. The large demonstrations during elections, a thing of the past. Hard decisions have been taken, and Indonesia is better for it. Because of all this, the people are going to reward SBY with a second term.

At all the polling stations I visited, people lined up in an orderly fashion to exercise their civic duty to vote. At the less crowded stations, people waited patiently for their name to be called. At more crowded stations in the villages, parents and kids gathered under a simple tent, chatted with one another, laughed when the polling officer read the name out wrongly, and cheered when their friends got called. In Bali, the officials all made it an occasion by wearing traditional dress. The people take the election seriously, and turn out to vote in an orderly fashion. Money politics still exist, but the people are no longer stupid. They take the money but vote with their hearts.

The KPU (election commission)obviously messed up in many areas, but no one doubts the legitimacy of the results. SBY is, by far, the most popular candidate by a mile. Indonesia could do a lot worse than choosing him.