No clear concept of democracy, seminar told

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has no clear concept on what sort of democracy and political system it is pursuing, a respected scholar told a seminar yesterday.

All discussions on politics and democracy in Indonesia almost always culminate in the glorification of the state ideology, Pancasila, but the essence is vague, Nasikun, a political scholar from Gadjah Mada University, said.

"For example, it is never clear if we are pursuing the liberal, individual democracy, or socialist democracy. Nor is it ever clear on which political context the issue of freedom of expression is put," he said in the seminar on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, held at Atmajaya Catholic University.

According to Nasikun, Indonesia already adopts both liberal and socialist democracies, at the same time. The liberal is applied in the economic practices and socialist in the political practices.

Bureaucrats generally insist that the so called "Pancasila democracy" is a specifically Indonesian middle-way democracy, which is neither liberal nor socialist.

Pancasila is made up of five tenets: Belief in God; national unity; consensus through deliberation; humanism; and social justice.

"To be honest, we Indonesians don't all have a clear picture on what type of political system and democracy we are pursuing," Nasikun said.

In addition to the vague concept of democracy and politics, Nasikun said, Indonesians, generally, do not yet have the qualities vital for democracy to take hold. Indonesians in general lack a critical, rational way of thinking.

"People generally cannot tell which concern personal, from public interests. They have a somewhat less rational view about the functions of political organizations," he said.

"To be able to flourish, democracy needs qualities like open mindedness and flexible attitudes in the people of the community," he added.

Sutandyo Wignjosoebroto, a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, and a lecturer at Surabaya's Erlangga University, discussed how the 1945 Constitution relates to human rights.

Sutandyo pointed out that the Indonesian constitution addresses little on human rights, especially as far as political freedom is concerned.

The constitution, he said, addresses more on citizens' rights, which do not need its absolute guarantee but enough to be regulated by lower laws.

"The 1945 Constitution does not discuss rights which are intrinsic to human beings but rights that citizens have due to their status," he said.

In other words, he said, the constitution does not vigorously put human rights as a top priority. "It gives the impression that the constitution means to limit citizens' basic rights," he said.

"And not only that, the constitution also means to stress that citizens are confined to numerous social obligations, which will have to be specified in lower-level laws," he added.

The one-day seminar also featured Roekmini Koesoemo Astoeti, a member of the human rights commission; Ashadi Siregar, a lecturer of social-political affairs from Gadjah Mada University; and Emha Ainun Nadjib, a well-known cultural observer. (har/pan)