•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

Indonesia is often touted as the world’s third-largest democracy and a role model for other developing nations. Indeed, Indonesians are fortunate to be able to freely elect their government at all levels, from the president and national legislature to local and regional leaders.

It has been proven beyond doubt that democracies deliver better living standards, economic growth and prosperity in the long term. While not all democracies today can be considered developed, people who have tasted freedom and have exercised the right to vote are unlikely to opt for another system of government.

Democracies, however, also require a great deal of sacrifice and a sense of responsibility from those who are entrusted to lead. Elected government officials must carry out their end of the bargain if the system is to function efficiently.

This is where Indonesia has clearly fallen short, if the results of a recent survey of 1,200 people throughout the country are to be believed. The results of the survey by the Indonesia Survey Circle (LSI) only confirm a tendency that was becoming obvious: That trust in the country’s politicians is dropping. In the past six years, the number of respondents who said they still trusted their elected leaders has slid from 44.2 percent to just 23.4 percent.

Even more worrying was the finding that only 12.9 percent of the respondents said the current crop of politicians was doing a better job than those who managed the country under former President Suharto. This underscores the fact that for the vast majority of Indonesians, democracy has not delivered a better life.

The bad image of the country’s politicians could be due to many factors, but chief among them must be the large number of corruption cases involving politicians as well as their blatant disregard for the concerns of the people. This does not bode well for the future of this nation as government and elected officials are critical to development and continued progress.

If there is no public trust and confidence in politicians, the people will not be willing to follow their leaders. This will lead to a breakdown in social cohesion and even social order. Politicians therefore carry a great responsibility to ensure that the trust the public places in them is not misplaced. Indonesian politicians must start living up to this responsibility.