No clear concept of democracy, seminar told

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)