Political institutionalization spurs democracy: Scholars<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Scholars called on the government on Wednesday to push ahead to
\ncreate and enable a political institutionalization drive -- a
\nstronger respect for the nation's democratic institutions -- in
\nthe country, saying, it was a necessity to achieve democracy.<\/p>\n
If everyone heeded the democratic principles and rules in
\nevery aspect of life, achieved through political
\ninstitutionalization, the situation would ease away from a
\npossible emergence of authoritarian leaders and would later offer
\na stable democracy, they said.<\/p>\n
\"Changes in national leadership will not pose a problem to the
\ndemocratization process if the country has mature institutions
\nand respects democratic rules,\" noted scholar Frans Magnis Suseno
\nsaid in a seminar here on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
A leadership crisis has characterized Indonesia since the
\nforced resignation of former dictator Soeharto in May 1998.<\/p>\n
Magnis said the governments of B.J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid
\nand Megawati Soekarnoputri had all failed to lift the country out
\nof its prolonged multidimensional crisis.<\/p>\n
\"Even worse, all walks of life, including those in power, do
\nnot respect the prevailing democratic principles and rules at
\nall,\" Magnis said, adding that respect for law would reduce the
\ntendency among leaders to use their power to act against
\ndemocratic principles.<\/p>\n
\"The rule of the game, including the law, will limit personal
\npower of the leaders, and this will be useful to prevent power
\nabuses carried out by those leaders,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, another speaker at the seminar Bima Arya Sugiarto
\nfrom the Center for Government and Parliamentary Studies said
\nthat Indonesia, which was in a transition period toward a
\ndemocracy, still had failed to carry out political
\ninstitutionalization.<\/p>\n
The recent internal splits afflicting many parties was
\nevidence that those parties were not practicing democratic
\nprinciples even within their respective party.<\/p>\n
\"Once they disagree with others, they simply quit the party,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Bima lashed out at the tendency that people depended on
\ncharismatic leaders, instead of basic rules.<\/p>\n
\"This tendency could lead to absolute power enjoyed by party
\nleaders and that is a threat to democracy,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/political-institutionalization-spurs-democracy-scholars-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}