Anticipating social change in RI (2)<\/p>\n
By Ignas Kleden<\/p>\n
This is the second of two articles on development and the
\naccompanying changes the people have to face.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It is quite obvious that more participation in
\npolitical affairs will bring about more contributions, as well as
\nproblems. It is almost impossible to ask the people to do more,
\nwhile expecting them to demand less. A sense of belonging, even
\nin political affairs, entails both more engagement and more
\ndistancing. This is a psychological commonplace which can be
\nobserved everywhere: The closer you are to somebody, the more
\naware you will be of his or her strengths and weaknesses. In this
\nconnection there is no reason whatsoever why this psychological
\ntendency should not hold true for those involved in politics.<\/p>\n
In the mid-1960s it was easier to influence the people to
\nrestrain themselves from active political involvement. For one
\nthing, everybody at that time was faced with the common crisis
\nthat the whole national economy was very likely to collapse. For
\nanother, there were real reasons for the people to tolerate the
\ncondition of limited participation, because relative political
\nstability was still a necessary precondition in which to embark
\nupon a new economic venture.<\/p>\n
This logic lacks its validity nowadays because the reasons
\njust mentioned above are more or less outdated. To a certain
\nextent there are more people enjoying an improvement in living
\nstandards which was unprecedented in the previous decades. The
\npressure of economic problems has been considerably alleviated.
\nBesides that, the general political condition seems to have been
\nreversed from too little stability to too much stability. In that
\nregard, the sort of concern we have has changed substantially. In
\nthe past it was legitimate to be concerned about too much
\nparticipation, which could eventually engender political
\ninstability, but nowadays it is more logical to be concerned
\nabout too little participation, which could injure the
\ncontinuation of our development project.<\/p>\n
After the fall of oil prices, we were struck by the fact
\nthat our government, with all its funds and forces, could not
\nafford to finance the entire development program by itself. The
\neconomic participation of the entire society as compared to the
\nsole activity of the state has become a necessity. However, to
\nenhance economic participation, while restraining, or regulating,
\npolitical involvement, is not only very difficult but tends to be
\ncounterproductive. At this juncture we have to look into some
\ncultural features which have been maintained in the political
\npraxis, but which nevertheless should be reconsidered if we are
\ndetermined to encourage active economic participation and more
\ninventive initiatives. It is of course impossible to scrutinize
\nall of the related cultural features which should be taken into
\naccount. Some of the most basic cultural propensities, however,
\nare worth mentioning, albeit just in passing.<\/p>\n
Political sensitivity seems to play such a big role in our
\ncultural behavior. This is time and again emphasized when we are
\nfaced with criticism in general and political criticism in
\nparticular. However our habit of underscoring refinement in
\npolitical articulation should be gradually replaced by the civil
\ncourage to look into the substance rather than to dwell eagerly
\nupon the formal appearance.<\/p>\n
This is a very necessary and urgent change, not only because
\nof the reasons for cultural conversion, but rather because we
\nhave to find modes of behavior which are more compatible with the
\nnecessary economic efficiency and economic competitiveness which
\nis based on cultural simplicity.<\/p>\n
By cultural simplicity I mean the new capacity and tendency to
\nemphasize culture rather than formal refinement for the sake of
\neconomic and technical profit. This means explicitness, which
\nmight be harsh and blunt sometimes, instead of the linguistically
\nand socially costly roundabout before getting to the point.<\/p>\n
Or more willingness to get hurt, if necessary, in order to
\ncome closer to the truth, as well as the readiness for simple
\nclarity instead of being fond of running the unnecessary detour
\nin order to secure the social elegance which makes for esthetic
\nvagueness.<\/p>\n
To make a long story short, we cannot rely further merely on
\nour cultural values, while claiming that they are good simply
\nbecause they are part of our legacy. What is badly needed is to
\nrecast those values in order that they do not contradict all the
\ngoals which have become the aims of the project of national
\ndevelopment.<\/p>\n
It seems to me, that a sort of cultural disenchantment is
\nnecessary if we do not want to get trapped into unnecessary
\ncontradiction between the changing material realities and our
\nidealized cultural world. Changes are there, and they are there
\nas a result of our political-economic interventions. Let us
\nrediscover the truth of the old saying: It is much better to
\nlight a candle than to condemn darkness.<\/p>\n
The writer has a masters degree in Philosophy from Hochschule
\nfur Philosophie, Munich (1982) and a doctorate degree in
\nSociology from Bielefeld University, Germany (1995). He is now
\nworking with the Jakarta-based SPES research center.<\/p>",
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