Popular Culture Review Vol. 12, No. 1, February 2001 | Page 49

Balinese Artists and Suharto^s Regime

45

particular temple ceremony (for which elaborate offerings of food have been created
to attract the Hindu gods to the temple and then make them happy, so they will
linger longer and bring more blessings to the villagers) is being staged for the
parliamenfary elections. This communicates the point that the real purpose of
elections in Suharto’s Imlonesia is not to select which alternative slate of political
parts leailers \s ill go\ ern the country. Instead, the function of Suharto's elections is
being poitrased as being identical to that of Hindu temple festivals: propitiate the
gorl-like political leaders with offerings (votes) which will make them happy and
motivate them to give blessings (development projects) to the villagers in return.
UPACARA
PURAt)l4\MI
MtHJELAHS
PEMILU.PAK

AppendixA
This interpretation is reinforced by the inclusion of a Hindu priest who looks
like Santa Claus in the cartoon. This seems to imply that if the villagers behave
like “good little boys and girls” and vote correctly in the elections, they will receive
presents as a reward. The Suharto government’s top political leader in Serang,
West Java was not even subtle about this blessings in return for votes essence of
Indonesia’s parliamentary elections. He blatantly promised to give three goats to
any precinct in which 100% of the voters poked their pencil-like voting sticks
through the government’s Golkar Party symbol. If an entire village of precincts
voted 100% for Golkar, it would be rewarded with three water buffalo. If a whole
sub-district of villages delivered a 100% victory to Golkar, it would be awarded