RI democracy still elusive four months on<\/p>\n
By Dewi Anggraeni<\/p>\n
MELBOURNE (JP): Over four months after Indonesia embarked on a
\nrocky journey toward a democratic and civil society, Indonesians
\nand Indonesia watchers are still wondering and debating whether
\nthe nation is still on track.<\/p>\n
They are fully aware, and in many ways apprehensive, of the
\nenormity and the complexity of the tasks ahead.<\/p>\n
After 32 years of the firm control and suppression methods of
\nthe New Order government, is there anything remaining to create a
\ndemocratic culture necessary to drive patrimonialism and a
\npersonality-driven system from the new government?<\/p>\n
The \"Rethinking Indonesia\" conference, held in Melbourne from
\nMarch 4 to 5, organized by the universities of Melbourne, Monash,
\nDeakin, LaTrobe, Swinburne and Victoria, discussed this and a
\nnumber of other issues. Sponsors were Radio Australia, The
\nIndonesia Forum, The Jakarta Post and Kompas daily.<\/p>\n
Guarded optimism was expressed by many of the speakers and
\nparticipants.<\/p>\n
Faisal Basri of the National Mandate Party (PAN), a party with
\nan inclusive platform founded by Amien Rais, believes that
\nIndonesia indeed has a new paradigm, which is driving the
\ncreation of a new nation and society.<\/p>\n
Faisal also reminded the conference that despite widespread
\npredictions to the contrary, the June 1999 elections were held
\nwithout bloodshed. This is an indication that the population was
\nto a significant degree, ready for a major change.<\/p>\n
Political observer Wimar Witoelar, like many other
\nparticipants, also looked ahead and saw reasons for hope. He does
\nnot believe, however, that democracy has necessarily crushed
\npatrimonialism as yet, because of the complexity and multi-
\ndimentionality of the society.<\/p>\n
\"The changes came about because of the public's desire to see
\na new society in Indonesia. The energy for political change comes
\nfrom the politically conscious elements in society, such as
\nstudents, intellectuals, academics and ultimately the middle
\nclass.<\/p>\n
\"These people will not tolerate patrimonialism. But then when
\nthis energy was transformed from street movements and pressure
\ngroups into parliamentary change, such as the People's
\nConsultative Assembly set-up and the presidential election, the
\nparties who took over from the reform movement came from
\ninstitutions which are still quite patrimonial in
\ntheir traditions,\" Wimar told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines
\nof the conference.<\/p>\n
He then gave as examples, the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), which is still dependent on Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri, the National Awakening Party (PKB) on Abdurrahman
\nWahid, or Gus Dur, and even PAN, a new party nonetheless,
\ndependent on Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
\"So you have a formal political system, which is democratic in
\nits desire, but has strong patrimonial roots; waiting in the
\nwings you have the energy of the people.<\/p>\n
\"So we have to see if these two elements connect and then we
\nwill have a pass to the transition to a democratic culture, but
\nif they do not, we may well see the political institutions
\nstabilizing into yet another patrimonial system, thus aborting
\nthe democratic forces,\" Wimar said.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur, the current president, it appears, is pivotal to the
\nnew paradigm mentioned by Faisal. Gus Dur may be an enigma to
\nmany people, but he also represents change for the better. As
\nsocial and political reform cannot work smoothly without law
\nreform, Gus Dur signaled a determination for law reform when he
\nappointed Marzuki Darusman as attorney general.<\/p>\n
And in the Supreme Court, Gus Dur has expressed his intention
\nto appoint Benyamin Mangkoedilaga, known for his independence, to
\nbecome the new chief justice. This is very significant, because
\nas Tim Lindsey of the Asia Law Center at the University of
\nMelbourne, put it, the Supreme Court has very broad influence,
\nbeing a final court of appeal, thus determining every case. And
\nriddled with corruption as it currently is, legal skills are
\nirrelevant in the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
For that reason, Lindsey said, in its current state,
\njudicial independence in the Supreme Court is not necessarily a
\ngood thing. This inevitably conjures up a picture of Marzuki, Gus
\nDur's first knight, fighting the formidable dragon in close
\nquarters, seeing the massive resistance he must be facing.<\/p>\n
Wimar agrees that Gus Dur is instrumental in the process of
\ncreating a democratic culture. \"He is deeply committed to
\ndemocracy, pluralism, antiviolence and all the aspects necessary
\nfor the process\". he said.<\/p>\n
However, other elements also come into play here. \"Within his
\nimmediate circle, since he is such a remarkably strong figure,
\npeople tend to rely too much on him and look to him to give
\ndirections on every little thing. Simply because there are no
\nalternatives,\" Wimar said.<\/p>\n
While a whole session of the conference was dedicated to
\nunraveling the enigma of Gus Dur, Wimar was more practical and
\npragmatic.<\/p>\n
\"Since we cannot change Gus Dur, we should take advantage of
\nhis presidency. He has indicated to us that he does not care what
\nwe do if we do it ourselves.<\/p>\n
\"He will not stand in the way of democratization and the
\nempowerment of people; he even encourages society to articulate
\nits own ideas for an economic policy. Gus Dur is needed in the
\nprimary issue of national survival,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"He is a very good transitional president,\" he added. \"For a
\npermanent president, later on, we need someone with more
\nmanagerial skills. I would say that Gus Dur has led us through
\nthe prerequisite of democracy, where we have survived the dangers
\nof disintegration and regained our national pride. The rest of
\nthe way has to be completed by the people themselves, not just by
\nGus Dur.\"<\/p>\n
Democracy, it seems, is still an ideal for Indonesia, but one
\nthat is becoming increasingly real and attainable.<\/p>\n
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Melbourne.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-democracy-still-elusive-four-months-on-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }