Indonesian society in Buchori's eyes

Indonesian society in Buchori's eyes

M. Buchori, Sketches of Indonesian Society, Jakarta
The Jakarta Post and IKIP Muhammadiyah Jakarta Press
November 1994. 176 pages.

JAKARTA (JP): This book, a collection of essays previously
published in The Jakarta Post daily, is absolutely enjoyable to
read. Written in a lucid journalistic style, it provides rich
real-life situations in our society. A society which is still
grappling with the pains of change that, for many, often ends up
in confusion, disillusionment, frustration and anger. Yet it is a
mistake to allude to the essays as either traditional or modern.

Such simple labeling fails to deal with the complexity of the
problems being discussed. In the author's view, it ignores the
very fact that any society is always in flux. Dr. Buchori refuses
an a-historical juxtaposition between two extremes, such as
tradition versus modernity, as the central problem that bedevils
Indonesian society. Also, unlike many modern fundamentalists, he
does not subscribe to the simplistic moral attitude of despising
politeness for being undemocratic.

"To me the prospect of living in a democratic but uncivil
society or living in a polite but undemocratic society is equally
unattractive." (Politeness and Democracy).

These essays are obviously written from a social-reformist
perspective. Managing the transition from an old, quasi-feudal
system to the modern one is to him much more important than
fundamental discourse coupled with the all-or-nothing attitude
that often characterizes many modernist in this country. Hence,
"it should not make us loose faith in democracy... We should have
faith that in due course we will have the capacity to move into a
more adult stage in our political life. But we should keep in
mind at the same time that this can be achieved only through
collective political efforts which require constant appraisal and
renewal of our political system. Frustration, anger and disgust
will never improve anything." (Consensus in a Transitional
Democracy).

The social reform overtones permeates almost all the essays in
the book. The collection is divided into four major themes, each
have an appealing title. The Shadows of the Past, the first
theme, remind us that even now, old habits and norms die hard or
take new forms. Hurdles of Democracy illustrates the complexity
of the democratization process and cautions us on the thin
boundary between being modern and vulgar. Education as a Mean and
as a Burden deals with his best known subject. The discussions
are centered upon the consequences of the politicization of
education. One major challenge facing Indonesian education is to
liberate it from the practice of mediocrity resulting from the
unholy alliance between the educators and political-bureaucrats.
He refreshingly remarks that "elite schools and elite education
are necessary for us at the moment to extricate ourselves from
the grip of mediocrity." (Quality of Education as a mean to
Escape the Culture of Mediocrity) Saying that aristocracy is
morally corrupt but in the realm of intelligence and conscience
is all the more compelling for Indonesia today.

Lastly, Preparing for the Future, as the name implies, lays
out some building blocks for future society.

Harvard

Dr. Buchori, a Harvard educated scholar, is privileged to have
experienced and survived major social changes, transformations
and upheavals in Indonesian society during the past 50 years.
He gained a wealth of knowledge and wisdom both as an observer
and participant. All his observations are eloquently expressed in
this book. Stumbling upon politics, he admits that he considers
himself as "an agreeable disturbing element" within the system.
His early career as a teacher seems to have shaped his great
communication skills, keen understanding and sense of humor. His
subsequent career in higher education and the bureaucracy has
further sharpened his ideas and wits as well as enhanced his
awareness of the evolving complexity of the environment which
more than ever denies a simplistic solution.

One major contribution of these essays lies not so much with
the sometime boring political grammar but with the rich political
idioms and glossaries of contemporary Indonesia. Most of the
essays are portraits of Indonesian society undergoing a
transformation where politics constitute a rather dominant role.
Therefore we have the "clowns and badut", typical excessive
bureaucratic formalities, rembug desa (village meetings),
charisma and so on. Each of these terms often has some political
undertone. In the virtual absence of research in this area this
anecdotal evidence may be the best source for those who need a
deeper understanding on the subtleties and intricacies of
organizations in the daily life of Indonesia. It presents many
invaluable cases and, as the sub-title suggests, a view from
within.

-- Prabowo : An Oxford-trained economist currently teaching
at IPMI-Jakarta.