The ruling party now at the crossroad

The ruling party now at the crossroad

Al Makin, Yogyakarta | Sun, 07/24/2011 8:00 AM, opinion, The Jakarta Post

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The Democratic Party, under the shadow of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s charisma, which has charmed Indonesians for two terms, is now at a crossroads.

The current scandal with its former treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin acting as a whistle-blower seems to have determined not only which direction the party will go, but also on which characters the party will be built.

Now that the party executives are regrouping in Sentul, West Java, we will soon know whether the party has done its homework — such as cleaning dirty dishes, washing muddy clothes, repairing the leaking roof, repainting the walls and throwing out the garbage — or if it has left these jobs undone to be forgotten about by the people and the media.

For the party’s leaders, there are many options available. It is absolutely up to them whether they are decent politicians or mere opportunists.

Not only are good politicians committed to the image of the party, they also have shown responsibility to control the damage caused by the mayhem.

On the other hand, there are those who want to just wash their hands and find loopholes to escape. When the party is on the rise they were happy to join.

The party’s declining image did not bother them. In fact, it is common for politicians to jump from one political party to another.

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