Andi A. Mallarangeng is not afraid to speak his mind

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

JAKARTA (JP): As a young activist, Andi Alfian Mallarangeng dreams of democracy. The dream led him to a scholarship from the World Bank and study comparative politics at the University of Northern Illinois in the United States.

He never dreamed, however, that one day he would help draft a political law that would become the base of Indonesian democracy. At least, not this soon.

After finishing his doctorate degree in the U.S., Andi went to teach comparative politics at Hasanuddin University in October 1997. His thesis, "The Contextual Analysis on Indonesian Electoral Behavior," caught the attention of Ryaas Rasyid, an official at the Ministry of Home Affairs who was in charge of drafting the political law, and was impressed into recruiting Andi to join the committee.

From then on, Andi's life has been evolving around law-making and especially around preparations for the elections.

Politics, however, is nothing new to him. When he was a student at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Andi was involved with the Association of Muslim Students (HMI) and his faculty's student senate.

Andi's presence on the General Elections Committee (KPU) and law-making team, however, raised a few eyebrows and if not, fists. Many doubted him at his young age, while others were enraged by his offbeat comments.

On June 11, Andi was almost involved in a physical brawl with four other members of the committee who were party representatives, while last week eleven other representatives walked out after Andi and Adnan Buyung Nasution made a controversial comment. They said parties who get less than 2 percent of the vote should not join the next elections. Andi had earlier criticized fellow committee members who demanded a big salary even before they started work.

Although he is vocal, his easygoing nature and trademark "What's up boss?", put many people at ease when speaking with him.

Speaking with a strong Sulawesi accent, Andi is easy to joke with while his intonation voices his idealism.

Andi was born on March 14, 1963, in Ujungpandang. His marriage to Fitri Cahyani, a fellow student at UGM, at the age of 21, has given him two children, whom he rarely sees lately. His schedule sometimes forces him to stay up until late at night and he said, "my wife even mentioned our family vacation is long overdue".

The following is an excerpt of an interview with The Jakarta Post.

Question: Most of the scholarships you received for postgraduate studies came from sources abroad. Do you feel that the academic system in Indonesia should try to reward scholars in a better way?

Answer: The assistantships I received were great since it made it possible for those who were interested to become scholars to pursue postgraduate education. We just have to work for the university for 20 hours a week, and in return receive some perks such as a free apartment and a study room at the library to study, etcetera.

I think Indonesia should adopt a similar kind of reward. Unfortunately, the assistance given at the doctorate level in Indonesia is meager, not more than Rp 500,000, which is so little.

In the private sector, however, a person with my background would be rewarded in folds. I think this is the reason why many of the brightest students choose not to return to the academic community.

This would create problems in the future because those who stay are considered second grade. Considering it as the beginning of the real world, in terms of human resources. When the education sector does not perform, other sectors will feel the impact.

But those who stay within the academics are those who have strong motivation.

In my case, some people think I am just crazy.

Q: So you must be really idealistic to return to academic life, not say business, following your studies abroad?

A: Since the beginning, while I was a student I consider teaching as my life. I also think that this is the only place where I can maintain my integrity. At least in this community I can speak up. I can have what you would call kebebasan mimbar (freedom of podium). On the other hand it is also very morally satisfying. Going into the private sector is just not my call.

Q: It seems that you practiced freedom of podium to the committee, especially regarding the walk-out incident last week?

A: (Laughing hard) Well I think that is reform. (smile) Differences should be respected. But unfortunately, we are still in a transition. Some people understand this, but others don't. Unfortunately, some members of the committee don't.

Q: Are you the youngest person in the committee?

A: Among the government representatives, I am the youngest, but there are party representatives who are younger than me. But yes, being young sometimes can be a problem in politics.

Q: Due to seniority maybe?

A: In Indonesia, maturity in politics seems to be related with age. One needs to have certain flying hours in order to be recognized as a mature and capable enough person in politics. When you are young, many people just look down to you as anak kemarin sore (green horn) and then quip,"I know better than you".

I've thought at times that they are the ones who just don't have an understanding of new ideas. And I know that young people know better about new ideas.

Right now, ideas can fly through many channels and people can attain so much knowledge through reading and studying. Age sometimes does not give you an advantage if you do not read and study.

Q: How do you feel to be so young and yet be able to have the chance to make some changes?

A: I did my doctorate thesis on elections during the New Order era and I was lucky to be able to contribute so soon. When I was choosing the topic for my dissertation, people were laughing at me because, as one of my friends teased "you know the results before the elections itself is conducted".

But someone has to study elections in Indonesia. Someone has to study why under the authoritarian system and intimidation there were still those 30 percent who vote with their conscious.

Also, someone has to learn about elections because when the authoritarian system broke down and we wanted to enter a new democratic system, the first thing to come was the elections.

Elections are the beginning of institutionalizing a democratic system.

If nobody studies this field, then no one will know about a multiparty system.

So, I was happy to be given the chance to contribute something to Indonesia and democracy... although I haven't been able to get enough sleep for one year. (laugh)

Q: In the new political law that you took part in drafting, was there any point that did not get approved by the House of Representatives (DPR) but you wished went through, now that the elections process is nearly over?

A: There were so many ideas that we had in the beginning which were rejected by DPR.

We wished to have a district system, where people vote for a person to be a representative.

Regarding the committee structure, we proposed for a third component, which was the civil society component other than government and party representative.

The component would consist of independent members of society with high integrity and the respect of society who would lead the committee. This way, we could get a committee that is less partisan and more independent both from the government and the political party. But unfortunately the idea was rejected.

Q: Now that you are on the committee, do you wish these ideas were approved?

A: Of course, but unfortunately we were not talking with ordinary people then. We were talking with party elite who carry their party, as well as their own individual interest. And partisanship kills ideas, even though it is just a very simple idea.

Unfortunately, in the committee a similar partisanship occurs.

Ideas are usually rejected just because either one thought the idea would harm his party or just merely because the idea could not be understood. Or at times even because it was just "western".

Q: But you've studied democracy, and doesn't democracy itself seem to be more of a western concept than a traditional one ...

A: Sometimes people reject ideas that exist in other democracies, by stating that these ideas are against our own identity.

What they call identity is actually misleading because the identities are ideas that were manufactured by the New Order regime and implanted in us as an identity.

The idea of elections is western in concept, but actually it is nothing foreign to our culture.

Through the elections of village chiefs in Java, we actually have these seeds of democracy.

Modern elections, however, are something new. In our Constitution, there is not a single word of "elections", yet it is the only way in the civilized world to solve a problem, to elect leaders and government and to give legitimacy to a new government.

If you look back, the Republic of Indonesia is also a western concept. There has been no republic before here and if I am not mistaken, from the 62 members of the Working Board for the Preparation of the Indonesian Independence (BPUPBKI), of our founding fathers, 58 chose republic, and only two chose monarchy.

This means the founding fathers decided to adopt a western concept, not because it was western, but because it was for people and the only way to ensure the sovereignty of people.

You have to look at the substance of whether it is good or not. Not because it is foreign. If you reject it just because it is foreign, then you have to reject the republic and the parliament.

Q: It seems that you come from a strong Muslim background?

A: Yes, my family came from a santri background of Nahdatul Ulama. But I was also brought up with HMI tradition which is modernistic Muslim.

So, culturally I am an NU but theologically I am leaning more toward the Muhammadiyah side.

Q: Since you come from such a background, and yet studied the western government system, how do you see Islam and democracy complement each other?

A: Islam and democracy are really compatible. The only issue is that the interpretation of Islam varies from one school of tradition to another.

My perception is that it is very compatible because God created us as Khalifah (leader) and gave us reason and the chance to do what we thought is good.

On the other hand, some people have the narrow view that there is no sovereignty of people, only the sovereignty of God. But who knows about God and His will? In many cases, these people who strongly suggest that this and that is the will of God, are actually speaking of their own will in the name of God.

For me, democracy is humble.

It is based on people's will, not God's will. Democracy is what people think God wanted. But it is people who are thinking. So if something is wrong it is people who are to be blamed.

Islam is very democratic, and very open to interpretation according to the context, because there is so much tradition involved. The key is to see Islam in this new era.

Q: Both you and your brother (Rizal Mallarangeng) were known as vocal activists during your youth. Is there any influence on how the two of you were brought up?

A: Well, we were both activists. I was in HMI and he was in group discussion. During that time, if you were an activist you understood about power. Power that is oppressed upon you.

We understood about freedom of expression, because we could not express it. We were dreaming about democracy, because you could not have it. Then, it seemed that everything that was oppressed upon us came down to power and politics.

This dream that was taken from us while we were students made my brother and I want to study politics, to know what happened, to know why we were treated like that.

I was in HMI during my student years, and we were in the beginning of the process to build this network of student movement. But during my generation we were not able to have street demonstrations, only small ones. For example, we protested against the restriction of wearing jilbab (a head scarf) on campus.

So we mainly channeled our energy through discussion groups. I think these activities were the embryo of later student movements.

For me personally, it is a wonderful feeling that part of the dream came true, that I was still able to see a multiparty election, and I was involved with it right from the beginning. My brother should be envious of me right now. (laugh)

Q: Is there any regret you have on leaving your job in Ujungpandang at the University of Hasanuddin?

A: I am still not used to life in Jakarta. Maybe because I am more of a small town person. I have yet to find a spot where I can enjoy myself in this big city.

The only thing I really regret is that during this whole process, my productivity in writing and researching is really low. But I always say to myself, and at times to my wife, "Well when this is over, I am going to go back to my normal life again". But my wife just replies with "Yeah, right".

I do not see much of my family lately.

Q: So after all of this, what's ahead of you?

A: If I was asked today to resign by the President or by the government, I would just return the Kijang I was lent by the committee and follow my destiny. I just do the best I can and maybe I'll go back to campus life.

I would like to write books and do research again. I have lots of ideas following the elections and there is a lot of research to be done on political and electoral behavior. There has been a lot of data coming in and I would like to study it.

Q: No ambition to hold an electorate office?

A: Nope. I've never thought about it.