Promoting democracy in a transitional society

By Mochtar Buchori

JAKARTA (JP): In a recent discussion about democracy the participants heatedly debated the best methodology and approach to the topic.

The following question ultimately divided the participants into two opposing groups: What is the best way of promoting democracy at this stage of our political development?

The first group argued that within the present political conditions democracy can best be promoted by creating an atmosphere which shows to the public that the process of democratization is not yet dead in this country.

This can be done by organizing seminars in which respectable and trustworthy personalities are invited to discuss conditions which still hamper the national efforts toward a fuller and more mature democracy. Events like this will stimulate the entire society, from top to bottom, to actively promote democracy.

The other group said the country needs the strengthening of those groups which seek to promote real practices of democracy at the grassroots level. Members of this group defended their position by arguing that the ultimate test concerning the success of our efforts to promote democracy is whether or not we are capable of implementing principles of democracy in our daily lives, and not whether or not we are capable of delivering moving rhetoric about democracy.

System

They argued that democracy is not a system that can be handed down from the top. It is a system that can be acquired only by collective efforts to change ourselves.

In elaborating their position, the first group argued that what the country needs at the moment is a feeling among the public that the archipelago is indeed still moving toward a more democratic way of life; that the obstacles toward true democracy that have persisted thus far in our society can be defeated.

In short we have to instill the feeling among the public that democracy still has hope in this country. Without this feeling the majority of the public will be apathetic towards any call to strengthen democracy.

On the other hand, the second group pointed out that thus far we have been unable to defeat the anti-democratic forces that have been working within our society. Democratic principles have been twisted by these forces, and we are not capable of stopping the political manipulation that leads to this twisting. The result is that democracy has become a mere formalism in our society.

Proponents of the second approach do not believe that the situation can be remedied simply by oratory about democracy.

I did not participate in this discussion. I was informed about this discussion by one of the participants. According to this person, the opinion among the participants was still divided up to the end of the discussion. She came to me for a "neutral" opinion which she hoped she will be able to use in the next round of the discussion.

She also informed me that somehow this deadlock must be broken. It is important that the group reaches a compromise, and that it moves into real actions that will genuinely strengthen democracy in our society.

"So, what is your advice, Bapak?"

"I am not sure if I can give you any advice in this case. I am not a political guru. I am not even sure that I can give you a "neutral" opinion. I will try to give you my personal opinion, but I doubt if you can call it a `neutral' opinion."

Concept

In my view, promoting democracy is essentially an act of continuously stimulating the process of transformation of value systems. Democracy is ultimately a concept concerning a way of life, including a way of treating other persons in our life. The extent to which a person upholds democracy can be seen from the way he or she treats the household maids, his or her driver, and so forth. The way a professor treats his or her students is also indicative of his or her belief in democracy.

When this republic was born, feudalism was still the accepted way of life. Even Bung Karno (the nation's first president, Sukarno) with his credo of democracy still acted like a feudal lord in many ways. This was and is an inevitable situation.

We must admit, however, that during the period from 1945 to now, democracy as a way life has made many strides in our society. It is true that this is not the case in every aspect of our lives. But the progress is there for all of us to see.

If we feel now, at this moment, that this transformation process has come to a halt, then we should first inquire as to what the primary force is that is slowing down or stopping this process. Then, depending upon our understanding concerning the nature of this primary force, we should select a strategy -- including approach and methodology -- that is capable of taming this blocking force.

I think that the present slowing down of this transformation toward democracy is basically caused by our misunderstanding concerning the nature of democracy.

Most of us still think that democracy and democratization are concepts which are applicable only to political life. Most of us still think that democracy and democratization are merely problems of procedure.

Few among us really understand that democratization is essentially a matter of revising our personal and collective views of life, which in practice consists of abandoning certain traditional values, modifying other values, and taking over and adapting new values.

Combination

It is the combination of these three steps that evolves a new value system.

How do you keep these processes alive? By constantly examining the relevance of existing values vis-a-vis new situations that arise in our society.

Seen in this way, I think that among the forces that have blocked our democratization process essentially, is the unwillingness among some of us to examine our existing values and value system.

The question becomes then: How do you persuade these people to become more open-minded, to become less defensive in confronting new situations?

I do not think that this question can be resolved by operations or activities at the upper layer or operations at the lower layer of our society.

I think that the answer lies in identifying groups of persons in our society that can be considered critical in spreading the democratic view among the overall public. It is these groups that should be the target of these activities. This approach should involve a combination of groups that operate at the top, in the middle, and at the bottom of our society.

Dr. Mochtar Buchori is former deputy chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences and now rector of the Muhammadiyah University.