PDI-P yet to learn about democratic basics

One of the biggest Indonesian political parties which bears the name of democracy, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), is holding its congress in Semarang. The Jakarta Post talked with Mochtar Buchori, columnist and deputy chairman of the party, about democracy.

Question: Why should the issue of leader always feature prominently every time an organization holds a congress?

Answer: It is the nation's culture. We glorify symbolic values above functional values. A chairperson is a symbol of power, but very few people assess their own capacity to lead against the tasks that lie ahead.

The obsession with symbolic values does not occur solely in politics but also in other fields, such as education, as the public's appetite for college titles attests.

Is this a typical Indonesian phenomenon?

In developed democracies candidates assess their capacity and study their future tasks beforehand. But in less developed democracies the benchmark is closeness to power. We are actually still in a transition to democracy.

How can we evolve into a mature democracy?

With nothing other than political education. At this moment most of us perceive democracy solely as a political concept. So democracy applies only in political life, outside it there is no business with democracy.

This is wrong because democracy is a way of life. How I treat my driver is a matter of democracy, how I treat my students is also a matter of democracy. It is a measure of to what extend I am following democratic values.

It is a way of life?

Yes, it is. For a Javanese like me, who was nurtured in a feudal setting, it is very difficult to convert myself into a democrat. I consider myself a democrat, but still a lot of the residue of feudal values stays with me.

So you are fighting against yourself?

That is so, in all consciousness. You are being conscious of what you are doing.

You are a very honest man.

I am Javanese, my housemaid is Javanese. If my maid spoke in less than subtle Javanese to me I would be irritated. Isn't it feudal? It is still within me. I have to fight against it.

Certainly it has many good aspects, but isn't feudalism only one facet of Javanese culture?

Yes, there are good aspects as well. The problem in handling cultural transformation is which values should you preferably maintain, modify or abandon entirely and replace with new values? And where you take the new values from?

Because I received a Western education, I tend to look for replacement in Western culture as compared to santri (Muslim scholars) who look for them in the repertoire of Islamic values. What is important is the awareness of rethinking certain values we were brought up with.

If we look at our political culture, it is very feudalistic. Subordinates can never openly disagree with their superiors. It is just not feasible in Indonesia. The question is in what way can we express our disagreement.

Indonesian bureaucratic culture is obsessed with politeness. Isn't this Javanese (culture)? You may be corrupt but if you are polite you will be alright. You may be clean but if you are impolite you get into trouble. Meritocracy is nonexistent in this nation.

Going back to your Western education background, you may have a different outlook from those brought up with Islamic credentials.

Yes, for instance, the way we look at democracy. There are some who say that it is impossible for Islam to accept democracy because Islam already has a system called syura which is regarded as the equivalent to democracy.

But, actually, the core of democracy is the sovereignty of the people whereas syura is a council of leaders of the people and not the people themselves. So it is not equal.

Similarly, the term masyarakat madani is not equal to civil society. There are similarities but they are not identical.

How do they differ?

In civil society, society gives opportunities to its members to organize themselves. There are things taken care of by the family units and things by the government. In between there is a space where the government doesn't meddle. This is the space of civil society.

How can we keep the environment clean without citizens' participation? If the citizens do not restrain themselves from throwing their garbage into rivers, pollution will keep happening. The same with the forest fires in Sumatra.

And masyarakat madani?

Masyarakat madani originates in Madinah. Prior to becoming an Islamic state, there was a Christian minority and the prophet said they were equal to the Muslim faithful. But when Madinah became an Islamic country they were treated as a protected minority and had to pay taxes for protection.

Masyarakat madani is a civilized society, thus the concept is different. Its emphasis is on civilizing the entire society, while civil society emphasizes the rule of the citizens. There is a parallel but it is not the same.

Nurcholish Madjid (a noted Muslim intellectual) once said he preferred to use the term masyarakat madani to put an Islamic 'color' on it. Well, giving 'color' does not touch the substance of an issue.

How to fill the gap in harmonizing a nation?

Dialog is needed. Humanistic values are the meeting point.

Has there been any dialog between the two groupings?

No, every attempt at dialog has ended in disarray because the elite is politically immature. Isn't democracy as we have it now being abused? There is no difference between democracy and intimidation. So the basic notion of democracy should be well understood, especially by PDI Perjuangan. (hbk)