Indonesian legislative election, 1971

Last updated April 09, 2019

Indonesia's second legislative election, and the first under the New Order regime, was held on 3 July 1971. There were 10 participants; 9 political parties and the "functional group" Golkar.

Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the world's largest island country, with more than seventeen thousand islands, and at 1,904,569 square kilometres, the 14th largest by land area and the 7th largest in combined sea and land area. With over 261 million people, it is the world's 4th most populous country as well as the most populous Muslim-majority country. Java, the world's most populous island, is home to more than half of the country's population.

The New Order is the term coined by the second Indonesian President Suharto to characterise his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno. The term "New Order" in more recent times has become synonymous with the Suharto years (1966–1998).

The Golkar Party or Party of Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It was founded as Sekber Golkar in 1964, and participated for the first time in 1971 as Golkar. At this point, Golkar was not a political party. In 1999, forced by the new election law, the groups reformed itself as a political party.

Background

The symbols and ballot paper numbers of the organizations participating in the 1971 general election Pemilu1971symbols.jpg — The symbols and ballot paper numbers of the organizations participating in the 1971 general election

Following the Transition to the New Order from 1965–1967, the army-backed New Order regime announced that the Golkar organization would be its political vehicle. The regime stressed that Golkar (meaning "functional group") was not a political party. In order to give General Ali Murtopo, a member of Suharto's personal staff, time to turn Golkar into an organization fit to command a majority in the legislature, the general election originally planned for no later than July 5, 1968 was postponed to no later than July 5, 1971.^[1]

Indonesia's transition to the "New Order" in the mid-1960s, ousted the country's first president, Sukarno, after 22 years in the position. One of the most tumultuous periods in the country's modern history, it was the commencement of Suharto's 31-year presidency.

Ali Murtopo was a prominent Indonesian general and political figure during the first half of General Suharto's New Order regime.

After a time with no word from the government concerning the forthcoming election, on October 22, 1968, the Sinar Harapan daily reported a statement by President Suharto to the effect that the government had begun to take the necessary steps to organize the poll. A General Election Board was established in mid-1969 headed by Interior Minister Amirmachmud.^[2] On September 23, 1970, the ballot paper numbers and electoral symbols for the 10 election participants were announced.^[3]

Suharto was an Indonesian military leader and politician who served as the second President of Indonesia, holding the office for 31 years, from the ousting of Sukarno in 1967 until his resignation in 1998. He was widely regarded by foreign commentators as a dictator. However, his legacy is still debated at home and abroad.

Amirmachmud Indonesian politician and general

Amirmachmud was an Indonesian Military General who was an eyewitness to the signing of the Supersemar document transferring power from President Sukarno to General Suharto.

Government manipulation

Officials recording the votes cast for each party in the Operations Room at the Home Affairs Ministry on 2 August 1971 Pemilu1971.jpg — Officials recording the votes cast for each party in the Operations Room at the Home Affairs Ministry on 2 August 1971

In order to weaken possible rivals to Golkar, the government manipulated the top two parties from the 1955 election, the Indonesian National Party and Parmusi (the successor to Masjumi following that party's banning in 1960) such that they lost credibility in the eyes of voters.^[1] Given that the party that had come fourth, the Indonesian Communist Party, had been banned in the aftermath of the 30 September Movement coup attempt in 1965, that left only the Nahdatul Ulama as a major rival.^[4]

The Indonesian National Party is the name used by several political parties in Indonesia from 1927 until the present day.

The Masyumi Party was a major Islamic political party in Indonesia during the Liberal Democracy Era in Indonesia. It was banned in 1960 by President Sukarno for supporting the PRRI rebellion.

Away from the political parties, civil servants were effectively obliged to vote Golkar and regional administrators were required to fulfill "quotas" of Golkar votes.^[1]

The system of allocating seats was changed from that of the 1955 election to reduce the number of parties winning seats in the legislature. All seats were to be allocated in the regional electoral districts, rather than being divided up based on national results.^[5]

Preparations

A total of 6,000 tons of paper, 6 ships, 45,000 motor vehicles and 793,036 ballot boxes (lockable to ensure secrecy of the ballot) were needed for the election.^[6]

Results

Ballot number	Election participant	Votes	%	Seats
5	Functional Groups (Golongan Karya, Golkar)	34,348,673	62.82	236
3	Ulama's Revival Party (Partai Nahdlatul Ulama, NU)	10,213,650	18.68	58
8	Indonesian National Party (Partai Nasional Indonesia, PNI)	3,793,266	6.93	20
4	Muslim Party of Indonesia (Partai Muslimin Indonesia, Parmusi)	2,930,746	5.36	24
2	Indonesian Islamic Union Party (Partai Syarikat Islam Indonesia, PSII)	1,308,237	2.39	10
6	Indonesian Christian Party (Partai Kristen Indonesia, Parkindo)	733,359	1.34	7
1	Catholic Party (Partai Katolik)	603,740	1.10	3
8	Islamic Educations Association Islamic Party (Partai Islam Persatuan Tarbiyah Islamiyah, Perti)	381,309	0.69	2
10	League of Supporters of Indonesian Independence (Ikatan Pendukung Kemerdekaan Indonesia, IPKI)	338,403	0.61	0
7	Mob Discussion Party (Partai Musyawarah Rakyat Banyak, Murba)	48,126	0.08	0
Total		54,669,509	100%	360
Source: Komisi Pemilihan Umum (General Election Commission)

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References

1 2 3 Schwartz (1994) p32
↑ IKAPI (1972) p61
↑ IKAPI (1972) p77
↑ Ricklefs (1991)
↑ Central Election Commission (2000)
↑ IKAPI (1972) p79

Bibliography

IKAPI (Indonesian Student Press Association) (1972) Pemilihan Umum 1971 (1971 General Election) LPKP, Jakarta
KPU (General Elections Commission) (2000) Pemilu Indonesia dalam Angka dan Fakta: Tahun 1955-1999 (Indonesian Elections in Facts and Figures: 1955-1999, KPU Public Relations Bureau, Jakarta
Liddle, R. William (1994) Pemilu-Pemilu Orde Baru (Elections of the New Order), LP3ES, Jakarta ISBN 979-8015-88-6
Ricklefs, M.C. (1991). A history of modern Indonesia since c.1200. Stanford: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4480-7
Schwartz, Adam (1994) A Nation in Waiting: Indonesia in the 1990s, Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86373-635-2
Sekretariat Negara Republik Indonesia (1975) 30 Tahun Indonesia Merdeka: Jilid 3 (1965-1973) (30 Years of Indonesian Independence: Volume 3 (1965-1973)

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[SCHWARTZ-1] 1 2 3 Schwartz (1994) p32

[IKAPI_61-2] IKAPI (1972) p61

[IKAPI_77-3] IKAPI (1972) p77

[RICKLEFS-4] Ricklefs (1991)

[KPU-5] Central Election Commission (2000)

[IKAPI_79-6] IKAPI (1972) p79

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