Why Obama Deserves Your Vote

September 27, 2008

Diaz Hendropriyono
Washington, DC

I watched the U.S. Presidential debate last night between John McCain and Barack Obama. No doubt, there are significant and fundamental differences between the candidate’s view about a few major things. Take, for example, when asked to comment about the current financial crisis, McCain blamed greediness, while Obama blamed the lack of oversight over financial institutions. While Obama wanted to give tax cut for 95% of Americans—and by the way, increase tax for the wealthy—McCain said that he wanted to give everyone $5,000 tax credit to purchase health care. Where McCain asked for a surge in Iraq and change tactics to defeat the enemy, Obama wanted to end the war in 16 months, as he insisted that the “real enemy” is in Afghanistan, not Iraq. And he emphasized his focus on al Qaeda. Regarding Russia, it is clear that McCain, although at other times he suggested that the Cold War era has ended, still implied the “tough” stance towards Russia. He said that in Putin’s eyes, he saw three letters, KGB. Obama wanted to have a softer approach towards Russia, simply by implying that the U.S. does not need to provoke Russia. Americans just need to show democracies in Europe (Russia’s “adversaries”) that the U.S. is with them.

It seems that any foreigner who watched the debate would like to see Obama get elected because of his stance. However, what I think I like about Obama is not any of that. The most important point in the debate that I think is worth of the biggest praise is the fact that he admitted that the U.S. image abroad is bad, and it needs rehabilitation. As a foreigner, I know deeply how important it is for the U.S. image to be rebuilt to change our view towards the U.S. Talk to any European (other than the British, of course). Talk to any Arab about the U.S. And talk to any Indonesian you can find. You will most probably realize that most of them would say negatively about the U.S. You can also easily look at any poll in any country, and you will not find a single poll noting a favorable view towards the U.S. under Bush.

Obama is committed to rebuild the U.S. image worldwide. And he said it quite a few times, even before the debate. On the other hand, I have never heard McCain saying the same. It is quite strange for a presidential candidate not wanting to admit (or perhaps he does not know) that many countries do not have a favorable view towards the U.S., especially after the War in Iraq. How does McCain want to make America get the respect from the world community when he does not know that nobody likes the U.S. (policy)? Simply because understanding that, if I were American, Obama would get my vote.

Artis Harus Menjadi Kepala Daerah

3 September 2008

Diaz Hendropriyono

Washington, DC

Munculnya artis ke dunia politik telah melahirkan wacana yang beragam. Ada pihak yang menolak, ada yang mempersilakan. Di tingkat eksekutif, beberapa artis telah berhasil terpilih secara demokratis untuk menduduki kursi wakil kepala daerah. Rano Karno terpilih menjadi Wakil Wali Kota Tangerang dan Dede Yusuf menjadi Wakil Gubernur Jabar. Saat ini, Helmi Yahya sedang mencalonkan diri sebagai Wakil Gubernur Sumsel. Begitu juga dengan Wanda Hamidah yang kabarnya akan ikut pilkada Tangerang sebagai wakil wali kota. Kabar terakhir menunjukkan kemungkinan Della Citra juga dicalonkan sebagai Wakil Bupati Serang dan Ikke Nurjanah sebagai Wakil Bupati Majalengka.

Artis ikut pilkada sebenarnya juga terjadi di banyak negara lain. Aktor Joseph Estrada pernah dipercaya sebagai Wali Kota San Juan dan Presiden Filipina. Pelawak dan TV host Joey Marquez adalah mantan Wali Kota Paranaque City, Filipina. Di India, jabatan chief minister (kepala daerah) Provinsi Andhra Pradesh dan Tamil Nadu pernah dijabat oleh aktor ternama NT Rama Rao dan MG Ramachandran. Pemain film Fatma Girik adalah mantan Wali Kota Sisli, Turki. Penari kabaret Isabel Peron dipercaya menggantikan suaminya menjadi Presiden Argentina. Di Polandia, artis cilik kembar bersaudara Lech Kaczyñski dan Jaros³aw Kaczyñski sempat menjabat Presiden dan Perdana Menteri pada saat yang sama. Dan Gubernur Altai Krai di Russia pernah dijabat oleh seorang aktor komedian Mikhail Yevdokimov.

Di Amerika Serikat, aktor produser Sonny Bono yang juga mantan suami penyanyi Cher sempat dipercaya sebagai Wali Kota Palm Spring, California. Aktor laga Clint Eastwood menjabat Wali Kota Carmel, California; penyanyi Jimmie Davis terpilih menjadi Gubernur Louisiana pada dua saat yang berbeda; dan pegulat WWF Jesse Ventura menduduki kursi Wali Kota Brooklyn Park dan Gubernur Minnesota. Yang lebih terkenal, aktor Ronald Reagan terpilih sebagai Gubernur California sebelum dipercaya sebagai Presiden AS. Lalu aktor binaraga Arnold Schwarzenegger sekarang sedang menjabat Gubernur California.

Popularitas para artis sebenarnya tidak selalu menjamin kemenangan dalam pemilihan umum. Sebagai contoh, aktor Fernando Poe Jr sempat mengincar kursi Presiden Filipina sebelum dikalahkan oleh incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Baru-baru ini, aktor serial TV Fred Thompson mencalonkan diri sebagai Presiden AS, namun akhirnya gagal dalam primary (putaran pertama). Setelah berkarier di parlemen, artis film dewasa Ilona Staller gagal terpilih sebagai Wali Kota Milan di Italia. Begitu juga dengan pemeran film Beverly Hills Cop Gill Hill yang tidak sukses dalam memperebutkan kursi Wali Kota Detroit, Michigan. Di Indonesia, Marissa Haque kalah di pilkada Banten, sehingga gagal menjadi wakil gubernur. Didin Bagito memilih mundur dari pencalonannya sebagai Wakil Wali Kota Serang sebelum pilkada berlangsung karena tidak dapat memenuhi jumlah minimum pendukung.

Walaupun fenomena yang ada di Indonesia juga terjadi di negara lain, namun ada satu perbedaan menarik. Mayoritas artis Indonesia terkesan masih enggan menjadi seorang kepala daerah, dan memilih maju ”hanya” sebagai wakil. Dari sekian banyak artis yang maju dalam pilkada, hanya sebagian kecil yang maju untuk menjadi kepala daerah. Sebagai contoh, Gusti Randa sempat mengincar posisi kepala daerah di Padang, walau akhirnya mengundurkan diri dari pencalonannya karena kekurangan pendukung. Primus Yustisio baru saja mendaftar menjadi calon Bupati Subang.

Sedikitnya, jumlah artis yang mencalonkan diri untuk menjadi kepala daerah tentunya bisa menimbulkan kesan negatif di mata masyarakat. Publik bisa menilai bahwa para artis sebenarnya kurang percaya diri dalam mengatur suatu pemerintah daerah sehingga harus dipasangkan oleh seseorang yang memang mempunyai pengalaman dalam bidang administrasi publik. Pada akhirnya, hal ini dikhawatirkan akan berimplikasi negatif terhadap reputasi para artis itu sendiri.

Perlu diketahui bahwa para artis yang menjadi kepala pemerintah di negara lain banyak yang terbilang sukses. Misalnya, walau terlibat masalah korupsi dan perjudian, Presiden Filipina Estrada termasuk seorang politikus yang berani. Paling tidak ada 46 kamp pelatihan gerilyawan separatis mulsim MILF, termasuk kamp Abu Sayyaf, yang dilumpuhkan pada masa pemerintahannya.

Di Amerika, Gubernur Schwarzenegger baru saja mengesahkan UU untuk mengurangi emisi greenhouse gas di daerahnya ke tingkat tahun 1990, pada tahun 2020. Ia juga mengharuskan semua sekolah negeri di California untuk lebih memperbanyak buah dan sayur-sayuran dalam menu makanannya, sesuai dengan standar nutrisi yang telah ditetapkan. Dan California akan menjadi negara bagian pertama di AS yang melarang restoran untuk menggunakan trans fat (lemak/minyak jenuh) dalam masakannya.

Pada saat dilantik, Presiden Reagan dengan lantang menyatakan, ”Pemerintah bukanlah solusi dari masalah kita; pemerintah itu sendiri adalah masalahnya.” Terobosannya meliputi penurunan pajak, kenaikan pengeluaran militer, kenaikan produk domestik bruto sebesar 3.4% per tahun, dan penambahan 16 juta lapangan pekerjaan, walau akhirnya menimbulkan defisit negara. Ia berpidato di Tembok Berlin, menantang Presiden Uni Soviet Mikhail Gorbachev untuk meruntuhkan tembok tersebut. Reagan dinilai berperan penting dalam memenangkan Perang Dingin.

Melarang partisipasi artis di dunia politik Indonesia adalah bertentangan dengan pilar demokrasi. Kehadiran mereka juga tidak melanggar UU yang ada. Oleh karena itu, artis yang ikut pilkada harus bisa membuktikan kalau mereka mempunyai kemampuan untuk memimpin seperti halnya para artis yang terjun ke politik di negara lain. Publiklah yang harus mengawasi kinerja mereka. Sayangnya, mengevaluasi performa para artis dan kontribusi yang mereka berikan untuk daerah adalah suatu hal yang sangat sulit kalau mereka ”hanya” dijadikan wakil kepala daerah. Oleh karena itu, akan lebih baik jika para artis mulai lebih berani dan lebih diberi kesempatan oleh parpol dan masyarakat, untuk maju ke panggung politik sebagai kepala pemerintah daerah, bukan wakil. Hanya dengan demikian publik dapat menilai apakah para artis benar-benar mampu dalam memimpin daerah.

Penulis adalah Kandidat PhD bidang Administrasi Negara dan Kebijakan Publik di Virginia Tech University, AS.

Diambil dari Situs: http://www.sinarharapan.co.id/berita/0809/03/sh03.html

Indonesian Celebrities Go For Political Seats

September 3, 2008

Diaz Hendropriyono
Washington, DC

The rise of celebrities in the political arena has created a mixed message. While many are against it, mainly because of their lack of political experience, others are willing to give these actors an opportunity to prove themselves. At the executive branch, as it is widely known, actors Rano Karno and Dede Yusuf have been democratically elected as the vice regent of Tangerang, Banten, and deputy governor of West Java, respectively.

Currently, Helmi Yahya is running for deputy governor of South Sumatra and Dicky Chandra for vice regent of Garut, West Java. There are at least two "dangdut" singers running for deputy mayor, Syaiful Jamil in Serang, Banten, and Ayu Soraya in Tegal, Central Java. Additionally, there are indications that Wanda Hamidah, Della Citra and Ikke Nurjanah are eyeing the second-in-command position in the City of Tangerang and the regencies of Serang and Majalengka.

Having celebrities running for a political seat at the executive branch is undoubtedly not a new phenomenon. In the Philippines, actor Joseph Estrada had been the mayor of San Juan before becoming president. Comedian Joey Marquez was the mayor of Paranaque City. The job of chief minister in the Indian provinces of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu was filled by actors N.T. Rama Rao and M.G. Ramachandran, respectively. Turkish actress Fatma Girik was the mayor of Sisli. Argentine cabaret dancer Isabel Peron replaced her husband as president. Twin child-actors Lech Kaczynski and Jaroslaw Kaczynski were for a year the president and the prime minister of Poland at the same time. And in Russia, actor-comedian Mikhail Yevdokimov was trusted as the governor of the Altai Krai region.

In the United States, actor-producer Sonny Bono, once married to singer Cher, was elected mayor of Palm Springs, California; TV host Jerry Springer was mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio; "Dirty Harry" star Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel, California; singer Jimmie Davies was governor of Louisiana and World Wrestling Federation star Jesse Ventura was mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, as well as governor. As was more popularly known, actor Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California before becoming the U.S. president. And presently, actor-bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his second term as governor of California.

In some cases, celebrities' popularity is not always enough to get them elected. For example, Filipino actor Fernando Poe, Jr. lost the presidential election to incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Beverly Hills Cop star Gill Hill failed in his bid to become the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Italian adult movie star Ilona Staller was unsuccessful in her run for the mayor of Milan. And more recently, TV star Fred Thompson withdrew his candidacy for U.S. president after losing in the primary election. In Indonesia, running for deputy governor of Banten, Marissa Haque lost the provincial election. Didin Bagito even decided to pull out from his candidacy for deputy mayor of Serang before the election for lack of public support.

Although there are celebrities running for political offices in other countries such as what is found in Indonesia, there is still one notable difference: The majority of Indonesian celebrities seem reluctant to run for local executive head and are more comfortable to be number two. Among the many who participate in the race, only a few run for the first-in-command posts. Although unsuccessful, Gusti Randa ran for mayor of Padang, and Primus Yustisio is now running for the regent of Subang.

The small number of celebrities who run for regional head may create negative impressions. The public may judge that these actors do not have the confidence to manage a government, thus they need to be coupled with someone who has experience in public administration and policy. Doubtless, this will eventually hurt the artists' reputations.

It should be remembered that there are many actor-politicians who have had some accomplishments during their administration. For instance, although the court found him guilty of plunder before finally being pardoned by the current president, some still consider former president Estrada a success. At least 46 Moro Islamic Liberation Front secessionist camps, including that of Abu Sayyaf, were overrun during his time in office.

California Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed landmark legislation to reduce carbon emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. He also banned the sale of sodas in schools and set a stricter nutritional standard which required more fruits and vegetables in meal planning. And California will be the first state in the nation to ban the use of trans-fat oils in restaurants.
In his first inaugural address, former U.S. president Reagan boldly preached: "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." During his presidency, he reduced income tax rates, increased GDP by 3.4 percent annually, created more than 16 million new jobs and increased military spending -- although at the end, left his government with a huge deficit. Many even think he deserves credit for ending the Cold War.

To forbid Indonesian celebrities from entering politics is to go against the pillars of democracy. Their participation does not violate any law either. Hence, celebrities who take part in district head elections must prove themselves capable of managing a government administration and creating public policies, such as those movie stars in other countries. It is then the public's duty to evaluate their performance. However, evaluating their contribution to the public seems difficult when these celebrities are "only" elected as second-in-command. Thus, celebrities must be emboldened to run for, and political parties need to support them as regional heads, not deputies. Only by doing so will the public know whether or not these celebrities can truly govern.

The writer is PhD Candidate at the Center for Public Administration and Policy, Virginia Tech University. He can be reached at d_hendropriyono@yahoo.com

Taken From: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/09/03/indonesian-celebrities-go-political-seats.html