6 - The Professionalisation of Politics: The Growing Role of Polling Organisations and Political Consultants

Summary

The 2009 elections marked a new stage in Indonesian electoral politics. For the first time voters were able to elect directly members of the legislatures, because of the introduction of an open party list system. In the past, political parties were the key to political success: voters simply chose the party they preferred and it was a candidate' place on the party list that determined whether or not that person was elected. Now, if a party gains enough votes in a particular electoral district to win a seat, it is the candidate from that party with the highest number of individual votes who gets the seat. This system continues a trend that began with the introduction of direct presidential elections in 2004 and then of direct elections for heads of local government in 2005. The introduction of direct elections has caused dramatic changes in electioneering and campaign strategies, throwing the political spotlight onto individual candidates in campaigning at all levels. The mass media and image building by candidates have become all-important.

Before the introduction of direct elections, the most important actors in election campaigns were the party machines, which had organisations that stretched down to the grassroots. The chief method of communicating with voters was face-to-face. In direct elections, by contrast, victory is determined not by how a candidate reaches out to potential voters through a party machine, but by how issues are framed and an image built in the media. Victory is determined by the candidate' performance, the issues he or she raises, and how the person looks in advertisements (Nimmo 1976). As a result, the role of the mass media and advertising in Indonesian elections has increased massively. In the 1999 elections, parties spent Rp 97.2 billion (about $10 million) on advertising. After 10 years this sum had gone up tenfold. During the recent legislative elections, total expenditure on advertising by the parties was Rp 1.1 trillion ($117 million) (AGB Nielsen Media Research 2009).

This new media-driven political landscape has given birth to important new categories of political actors in Indonesia: polling organisations and political consultants. Direct elections call for experts who can map voter preferences, understand the strengths and weaknesses of a candidate, create and package issues, build an attractive image, and understand what strategies will persuade voters.