Near-ideal democracy

Near-ideal democracy

I am writing in response to Vertie Orisa's letter of Dec. 14,
1998. I agree with Vertie's statement that the Indonesian people
have been struggling for democracy in every field in line with
the reform movement.

I also agree that democracy is an ideal, but not that it is a
theory. The ancient Greeks had a democratic system of government,
and a long time ago democracy happening in the little villages in
Indonesia.

In short, democracy is defined as "government by the people,
for the people". The "for the people" part is quite clear, but
"by the people" is, in practice, a little cumbersome.

Indonesia has 210 million people, so to govern that many
people is not practically possible. To make it somewhat possible,
the people elect representatives -- the House of Representatives
-- and a president to govern for them. Those elected are then
responsible to the people for taking care of them.

Representatives and presidents are also people, and are,
therefore, subject to human frailties. They may, sometimes,
inadvertently or by design, forget that their most important job
is to govern for the good of the people.

This is, I think, why democracy is never perfect. I am the
first to agree with you that democracy in America is not perfect.
I can add that American democracy is far from perfect. I have
lived in the U.S. for 35 years and I can tell you that although
American democracy is not perfect, it is not very bad.

As an ordinary citizen there, I can criticize the government
or the president. I can declare my discontent about certain laws
and decisions by the government without fear of reprisal. I can
contribute my thoughts about almost anything and channel them
through my representatives in the house.

The representatives, in turn, have to account to me about my
proposals. As an individual, I cannot accomplish much, but if I
can get many friends interested in something, we can demand
action from our representatives and/or the president.

I am not so naive as to think that money does not play a role
in American elections. You need money to campaign. You need money
to buy radio and television time. You need money to travel from
state to state. But I don't think a candidate can get away with
buying votes in the U.S.

Ordinary people, and people with money, contribute to campaign
funds, but how much they can contribute is limited by law. The
money is used to fund campaigns, and certainly does not get into
the personal pockets of the candidates.

Money does play a role in democratic politics. No question
about that. Without money you cannot run for any office. On the
other hand, a big time capitalist, like Ross Perrot, with all his
billions of dollars of personal wealth, and the know-how to
conduct big business, was not successful in his bids for the
presidency.

Maybe American democracy does not always reflect the
aspiration of the entire American people, but I am satisfied that
most of the time, it does abide by the desires of the majority of
them. American democracy is not perfect, by far, but it is the
closest thing yet to ideal democracy.

I was just an average worker in America. Nobody ever told me
what to do or what not to do. I helped elect some presidents, and
sometimes I voted for the candidates who did not win. I did not
always agree with the government's actions, but all in all, I
trust that the government is doing its best for the good of all
citizens.

Whether American democracy works in Indonesia is for you to
decide, you know your Indonesia, so you know what is best for
Indonesia. Some measure of democracy can be a reality, if you
want it. You can custom-make Indonesian democracy to comply with
your specific Indonesian mentality, your customs, your religious
teachings and circumstances. I think that with Pancasila as your
guiding principle, you can create the most perfect democracy yet.
Good luck.

DJOKO SOEJOTO

Bandung, West Java