Scholar concerned over democracy<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's commitment to democracy will
\nremain weak as long as the government puts economic growth above
\npolitical development, a scholar said yesterday.<\/p>\n
Riswanda Imawan of Gadjah Mada University said that the
\ngreatest concern was the enormous potential for conflict within
\nthe society which, he said, was highly heterogeneous in terms of
\nethnicity, culture and religion.<\/p>\n
Political, and thus democratic, development brings with it
\nconsequences that could make the potential conflict burst into
\nthe open, said the lecturer in political science.<\/p>\n
\"The situation has prompted the government to implant
\n'Politics No, Development Yes' in the people's mind,\" he said in
\nan interview with The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The heterogeneous nature of Indonesian society explains why
\nthe development of the economy and politics did not go hand-in-
\nhand as they did in countries like Taiwan or South Korea, where
\nthe community was basically homogeneous, he said.<\/p>\n
He added that both South Korea's and Taiwan's success in
\npolitical and economic development was largely due to the role of
\nthe Americans, who wanted to use those countries to counter-
\nbalance communist North Korea and mainland China.<\/p>\n
\"In Indonesia, we should not worry about foreign ideologies
\nbut the potential conflict within our society,\" Riswanda said.<\/p>\n
He added that Indonesia was sociologically so heterogeneous
\nthat it needed 40 years before all organizations could accept (the
\nstate ideology) Pancasila as their common principle.<\/p>\n
In 1985, following long and often tense debates, Indonesia
\npassed a law that required all socio-political organizations to
\nhave Pancasila as their sole principle.<\/p>\n
Riswanda said that the difficulties encountered in developing
\nthe political system in Indonesia had caused the bureaucracy to
\nadopt the traditional views of the dominant Javanese ethnic
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
He said that in the concept of democracy, for example, the
\nstate had adopted one which adored deliberation for consensus, as
\ntraditionally practiced in Javanese villages.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesia had \"carelessly\" adopted village-style
\ndemocracy at the national level, resulting in numerous
\nweaknesses. (har\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/scholar-concerned-over-democracy-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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