Page 115 - SCANDAL AND DEMOCRACY

100 Chapter 5

Table 2 (continued)
Province Golkar Golkar PDIP PDIP Votes Number Registered
(report time) (% of votes (% of votes reported of seats voters/
votes for votes for (%) seat
top 5 top 5
parties) parties)
N. Sulawesi 57 294,413 26 132,238 56 7 248,346
(11:17 p.m.)
S. Sulawesi 75 765,070 10 101,026 31 24 176,234
(9:09 p.m.)
S. E. Sulawesi 77 240,576 12 37,262 43 5 180,166
(9:16 p.m.)
N. Sumatra 2 49,696 50 1,018,586 43 24 242,969
(11:06 p.m.)
S. Sumatra 26 511,612 47 919,200 60 15 271,434
(9:38 p.m.)
W. Sumatra 28 278,081 13 126,732 53 14 168,886
(11:22 p.m.)
E. Timor (2:01 p.m.) 47 58,238 44 54,826 39 4 105,024
* Includes overseas ballots.
Source: Joint Operations Media Center, Aryaduta Hotel, Jakarta, 11:25 p.m., June 14, 1999.

won up to two-thirds of the popular vote in past elections, such margins were no lon-
ger credible. Given support for PDIP, even engineering a more modest win would have
risked rejection from the opposition, delegitimating the entire election. However, by
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allowing PDIP a wide margin in the first volatile days after the voting and then closing
this lead over time, Golkar avoided provoking a backlash against its eventual strong
showing.
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Although observers paid little attention and opposition parties appeared unaware
or complacent, Golkar remained confident, a position that, in retrospect, was a har-
binger of a predetermined outcome. Three weeks in, the party chair, Akbar Tanjung,
boasted that Golkar would narrow the gap with the front-running PDIP to just thirty-
five seats, allowing it to form a coalition government.
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Tanjung’s prediction was eerily precise. In the near-final results released in mid-
July, Golkar had closed the gap with PDIP to thirty-four seats. Significantly, Golkar’s
strongest showing was in the eastern islands, where the party won an average of
36 percent of provincial seats compared to only 17 percent on Java and Bali. Tan-
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jung also predicted that PDIP would have trouble convincing Muslim parties to sup-
port a woman, Megawati, for the presidency, allowing Golkar to build coalitions with
the three largest Islamic parties and gain another 105 seats. He further speculated
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that by asking General Wiranto to be Habibie’s running mate when the presidential
slates came before parliament, Golkar could ensure the votes of the MPR’s thirty-eight
armed forces delegates in the final ballot.
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