Amien Rais asks: What about economic democracy?<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Leading Moslem scholar Amien Rais lashed out at
\ncampaigners for democracy recently for giving undue emphasis to
\ncivil and political rights at the expense of people's economic
\nrights.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar held by the Indonesian Association of
\nMoslem Intellectuals (ICMI) yesterday, Amien acknowledged that
\neven the campaign for political democratization still faces many
\nobstacles.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesian people have yet to enjoy their political rights
\nbecause there are too many restrictions, such as on freedom of
\nspeech and expression, and on the press,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Economic democratization, however, fares even worse,\" Amien,
\nwho is member of ICMI and leader of the 28 million-strong
\nMuhammadiyah organization, told over 100 participants.<\/p>\n
Discrepancies are rampant, and \"strategic keys to national
\neconomics\" are controlled by a privileged few, he pointed out.<\/p>\n
The recent declaration by a handful of business leaders in
\nJimbaran, Bali, about their intention to help reduce the social
\ngap, he said, was proof of \"excessive arrogance\".<\/p>\n
\"Not only is it excessive arrogance, it also shows that
\npractices of monopoly, oligopoly still represent a big block
\ntoward the achievement of economic democratization,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
\"Most of our intellectuals believe that democratization covers
\nonly the political and civil rights of the people,\" he said.
\n\"Human rights and democracy campaigners also tend to eliminate
\nsocial and economic basic rights from their discourse.\"<\/p>\n
He blamed the neglect on, among other things, the domination
\nof Western countries' concepts of democratization. \"When the
\nWestern middle class struggled for democracy from the feudal
\npower holders, they demanded political and civil rights rather
\nthan social and economic rights, which they already solidly
\nbuilt,\" he said.<\/p>\n
It does not help that many Western bodies hold the purse
\nstrings of the Indonesian campaigners for democracy, especially
\nthe non-governmental organizations (NGOs) activists, he added.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, Amien said, needs to struggle for both political
\nand social-economic democratization. \"Freedom from hunger, from
\nhopelessness, from ignorance, from disease are more important, at
\nleast as important as political and civil rights,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The two-day discussion entitled ICMI and the face of Indonesia
\nin the future was held as part of a series of activities to greet
\nthe organization's second congress in December. Besides Amien,
\nyesterday's speakers included noted military observer Sayidiman
\nSuryohadiprojo, educator Conny Semiawan and former student
\nactivist Eki Syachrudin.<\/p>\n
Amien said ICMI \"has the moral obligation to help establish
\neconomic democracy\", as also mandated by Islam.<\/p>\n
The organization, established in 1990, is chaired by State
\nMinister for Research and Technology B.J. Habibie and manned by
\nprominent figures such as Minister of Education Wardiman
\nDjojonegoro. It now has over 300 branches both across Indonesia
\nand abroad.<\/p>\n
Amien said ICMI should strive to \"change the orientation and
\nthe programs of the superstructure so that the policies taken are
\nmore people-oriented\".<\/p>\n
\"Don't let the Indonesian government become an administration
\nwhich cares more about the shoes of wealthy people than about the
\nlivelihood of the poor people\".<\/p>\n
\"The intellectual and political struggle of ICMI should aim
\nfor an Indonesia which is independent of various foreign traps,
\nincluding the debt trap,\" he said. \"This is easier said than
\ndone, but it's a challenge for ICMI.\"<\/p>\n
In addition, ICMI should contribute to the social and economic
\nempowerment of the lower layers of society.<\/p>\n
\"These layers need moral support and concrete actions in order
\nto help the people gradually rise from the apathy and fatalism
\nthat have widely affected them,\" Amien said.<\/p>\n
Today, the discussion will feature, among others, Moslem
\nscholar Nurcholish Madjid and senior journalist Jacob Oetama.
\n(swe)<\/p>",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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