Social injustice a threat to Indonesian unity

Social injustice a threat to Indonesian unity

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The following are excerpts from a paper presented at a seminar
organized by the Driyarkara School of Philosophy recently in
connection with its 25th anniversary. This is the second of a
two-part article.
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By Franz Magnis-Suseno

JAKARTA: If we examine the primordial conflicts, we will see
that most of them should not have broken out in the first place.

Conflicts such as the ones in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cashmere,
Burundi, Rwanda, Northern Ireland and Catatonia broke out because
the respective minority groups had been subjected to oppression
and discrimination for tens, sometimes even hundreds of years.

There are also ethnic-related primordial conflicts that seem
to have broken out of ethnic hatreds that had been going on for
generations, such as the ones in the former Yugoslavia and in
Central Asia (in Afghanistan and Georgia). However, the majority
of primordial conflicts are the results of long-lasting social
injustice. Such is the case with fundamentalist primordialism in
Algiers and Egypt.

According to experts, the conflicts earned their momentum
following the decades in which the fate of the peasants remained
the same while, at the same time, they watched extravagance being
enjoyed by those on top.

Similarly, exaggerated centralism and disrespect for demands
for regional autonomy will prompt separatist reactions, as they
violate the perception of justice of the people in the affected
regions.

Although, at the outside, there seems to be no direct
connection between the fading of nationalism and social
injustice, in reality social injustice is the most serious long-
term threat on the national unity and solidarity.

It is not difficult to see why this is the case. The moment a
nation becomes segmented into the privileged and those who
continue to be asked to sacrifice and continue to feel oppressed,
the perception among the latter that they belong to the same
nation with the privileged deteriorates.

The segmentation may be vertical -- between the upper and
middle classes and lower in the cities, or regional -- the
regions watch the glories of metropolitan cities, while their own
development suffers from stagnation, or whether the structure of
power is discriminating and tilted toward one direction. However,
the results will always be the same: the sentiment of nationalism
will be eroded.

Social injustice makes it impossible to foster the basic
sentiment of national unity: the awareness that we all share the
good and the bad. If, like in Indonesia, the national unity is
based on ethos and history, the erosion of such a sentiment will
be totally fatal as it is our only basis for national unity.

Therefore, the most important requirement for the rebuilding
of national sentiment is the creation of a living condition that
can be perceived as humane and just by every member of the socie
ty. The efforts should include elimination of all kinds of dis
crimination, such as the one based on ethnic background, lan
guage, religion or place of origin. Also included are the due
respect for autonomy and cultural identity of all communities in
the framework of national unity. Nationalism can develop posi
tively only if everybody in the community feels involved.

Can national sentiments be pumped up? One of the methods that
may actually be effective is impossible for us to use as it is
against the essence of Indonesia's nationalism, that is, to
promote nationalistic sentiments by calling another nation as our
enemy, or by mobilizing the majority of our people by calling a
particular minority group the enemy.

Inflating the nationalistic sentiment through speeches and
lectures, will not be effective either; it can even prove to be
counterproductive if the government officials who give them, in
their own arrogance and upscale lifestyle, just represent
injustice. Ceremonies, such as flag-rising and the routine
seventeenth-day-of-the-month forms, certainly have their meaning
-- Rousseau considered civil religion ceremonies important in
fostering patriotism. However, their function is limited to only
complementary. The basic nationalistic sentiments should already
exist before all such complementary ceremonies and rituals can
have effects.

Nationalistic sentiments cannot be forced. They should grow on
their own as the result of the interaction within national life.
Proud, sad, touched, involved, shocked, or affectionate are the
feelings that emerge alternately with participation in national
life, including participation through the mass-media.

What we can now create is a conducive condition so that the
nationalistic sentiments will remain strong in the society. As
has been mentioned, these sentiments include the feeling of
sharing the good and the bad, the pride for being an Indonesian,
the happiness and remorse for the fate of the nation, affection
for the nation, solidarity towards compatriots, willingness to
make sacrifices for the sake of the nation and the state, will
ingness to forego one's own interests.

We have looked at the conditions that have to be met, that is,
the entire society should feel respected in their dignity as
human and should be treated fairly. Nationalistic sentiments
requires that members of the nation can build their lives
according to their own ideal way of living together that is
proper, decent, and fair.

Here, we go back to Pancasila, as Pancasila contains the
ideals of the Indonesian nation about the proper, decent and fair
way of living together. This means that Nationalism, the third
principle in Pancasila, cannot be promoted in isolation.

It will be fostered and will play a positive role on its own
provided other principles are also put into practice. Indonesians
should feel justified and supported in their religious yearning,
in their just and civilized human dignity. National unity should
be clearly visible, and it should be based on equality.

Every Indonesian should have a share in the ownership of the
state by being allowed to participate in a democratic way in
various levels of true deliberation, and he should be able to see
that social justice is truly fought for.

We can also say that nationalistic sentiments will grow strong
only if religiosity of the Indonesian people is respected, if
their basic rights as human are protected, if the society creates
a democracy in which they can participate in the responsibility
for moving forward together, and if living together is truly
based on fairness.

Dr. Franz Magnis-Suseno is a senior lecturer at Driyarkara
School of Philosophy.