Between feudalism and democracy<\/p>\n
By Mochtar Buchori<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): At a seminar I attended in the United States
\nrecently, the questions I was asked by the audience were most
\noften about democracy. In essence, people asked why the
\ndemocratization process in Indonesia had been proceeding at such
\na slow pace. Inevitably, this question triggered further
\ninquiries about other thorny issues, such as human rights, the
\nlabor movement, freedom of the press, and the like.<\/p>\n
In my search for the wisest possible answer -- mind you, the
\nIndonesian ambassador was there in the audience most of the time
\n-- I used a standard excuse which I learned from a Thai colleague
\nback in 1991. We were then on a tour of Germany, and on our
\nagenda was a meeting with parliamentarians from the newly-
\nreunited Germany. These German politicians asked the same
\nquestions about democratization in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
My Thai colleague gave this splendid explanation: \"In
\nSoutheast Asia we are courting democracy, but we are still
\nmarried to feudalism. As long as we have not succeeded in
\ndivorcing feudalism, we will never be able to implement democracy
\nin its fullest form.\"<\/p>\n
In replying to my audience in the United States I said that
\nthe result of this wavering state of mind was that, at the
\nmoment, most people in Indonesia exhibited a mixture of feudal
\nand democratic characteristics. I call a person with such a blend
\na \"feudal democrat\".<\/p>\n
I added that, while this may sound funny, in reality it is not
\neasy to be a good feudal democrat. You have to know when
\ndemocratic behavior is called for, and when feudalistic behavior
\nis more appropriate. A wrong decision in this regard can cause a
\npersonal disaster. I said that, as a rule, one should not be too
\ndemocratic when one is dealing with government bureaucrats,
\nwhile, on the other hand, one should refrain from any inclination
\ntowards feudalistic behavior when dealing with people from NGO's
\nor feminist organizations.<\/p>\n
To fend off further questions about democracy that I might not
\nhave been able to answer wisely, I hastily added that what was
\nmore important than the question about the present state of
\ndemocracy was the question about the future of democracy in
\nIndonesia. Does democracy really have a future in Indonesia?<\/p>\n
I stated my absolute belief in a more democratic future for
\nthe country. What I did not elaborate on at the time was the way
\nin which this fuller and more mature democracy was likely to
\nevolve.<\/p>\n
Will the fading away of the old generation and the rise of the
\nyoung generation automatically bring about a fuller and more
\nmature democracy in our society?<\/p>\n
Viewed in the light of this kind of question, I have to admit
\nthat my remark about the prospects of democracy in Indonesia was
\nrather weak and could easily be repudiated. There is no guarantee
\nwhatsoever that the next generations of Indonesians will become
\nmore democratic. Less feudalistic perhaps, yes. But this does not
\nnecessarily mean that they will become more democratic. It is
\nalso quite possible that the loosening of feudalistic restraints
\nwill bring about, not democracy as well as order based on new
\nnorms, but chaos and irresponsibility.<\/p>\n
I think that the only sure path towards a more democratic
\nfuture is education which is truly democratic, and not merely
\nnominally democratic. It is only if and when each younger
\ngeneration is educated in a way that is more democratic than the
\none provided to the preceding generation that this nation will
\nbecome increasingly more democratic.<\/p>\n
It is in this regard that I felt -- and still feel -- deeply
\nhorrified when I read in a magazine some time ago that, in
\nresponse to a student demand for more democratic and less
\nbureaucratic management in a private school in East Java, the
\nchairman of the board responded curtly that \"... in this school
\nthere is no democracy and also no bureaucracy. There are only
\nregulations here, and anyone unwilling to observe any of the
\nexisting regulations can pack his or her belongings and get an
\neducation somewhere else.\"<\/p>\n
In an environment dominated by this kind of attitude, is it
\npossible to prepare students to become democratic citizens for
\nthe future?<\/p>\n
The writer is rector of the IKIP-Muhammadiyah Teachers
\nTraining College, Jakarta.<\/p>",
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