To Washington and Paris: For what?

Budiono Kusumohamidjojo, Jakarta

The recent news about the planned departure of legislators on comparative study trips to Washington DC and Paris is nothing new to a public cynical about the real motivations for elected officials' travel abroad.

Perhaps the trips would be tolerated more if there were hard details of the participants' agendas, or these officials were seen to be actively seeking insights into how developed democracies work.

Indeed, there is much to learn from the great American Revolution of 1776 and the French Revolution of 1789 and how these countries developed into modern constitutional systems based on democracy.

Unfortunately for Indonesia, it often turns out that these study tours abroad have little do with efforts to further develop democracy.

Many overseas trips by officials often appear ridiculous, with the participants ill-prepared to take advantage of the information they encounter or the networking opportunities they are presented with. These jaunts often end up becoming embarrassing government-commissioned picnics abroad at the taxpayers' expense.

In our eighth year of democratization, it seems, a lot of work is yet to be done.

Indonesia's political constellation is so unique that it is vital we intelligently work out a democracy that takes into account our social, cultural and religious complexities.

There is little doubt that the American and French democracies have their distinct qualities, with their centuries of history.

The French Revolution was so turbulent that it became responsible for the adage, "revolutions tend to devour their own children". This tumultuous process to a lesser extent did not spare the early years of Indonesian reformasi either.

But in this current stage of history, Indonesia cannot afford the luxury of two centuries to learn and develop its own tailored democracy. Neither can we let the reformasi devour more of its own to achieve a more balanced and stable Indonesia. Whether we like it or not, Indonesians, and their leaders in particular, must work more efficiently and intelligently.

Judged by modern standards, the famous Greek democracy was hardly democratic. The classical "demos" may suggest a government by the people but it ended up being unable to cope with the complexities of its time. It was buried because it failed to provide a solution when the majority-minority dichotomy of Greek society dragged its peoples into large-scale tensions.

Lessons drawn from history have pressured modern democracies to drift away from rule-by-the-majority systems to ones that recognize the voices of other groups within society.

Modern democracy should be a truly "enlightened democracy", a proven competitive concept for self-government that upholds justice. As de Tocqueville was convinced in the mid-19th century, at the end of the day, democracy is about "a law of justice that applies to society in general, where sovereignty belongs to mankind as a whole". Indonesians in their quest for democracy must therefore bear in mind that they are pursuing a system that ensures justice for all Indonesians, the majority and the minorities, the rich and poor, alike. We must also be vigilant that Indonesia's new democracy does not revert to tyranny or dictatorship in the clothes of "democratization"

But this idea is easier to express than it is to realize. To make sure that Indonesians at large are aware that the country is pursuing an enlightened democracy -- and not an archaic one -- needs education at all levels. We need to teach the principals of an enlightened, pluralistic democracy from kindergarten age.

The leaders of political parties, too, should be required to acknowledge this aim, despite their different political agendas. Ideally, this teaching would provide future generations with a better understanding about what our political system is trying to achieve; much better than feeding them with empty slogans that lead nowhere.

Given Indonesia's heterogeneity, we need to understand that democracy does not come out of the blue and that dialog is its most fundamental prerequisite. Dialog, it must be emphasized, is not true dialog if it is only conducted between parties that hold similar views. It is valuable when it is used to solve conflicts or disputes, or to promote further understanding.

Therefore, democracy requires that we become trained listeners prior to becoming innovative speakers on transparent platforms. We must learn to accept differences constructively and to implement the complex give-and-take of democracy (John Shattuck: 1998). This capacity is a must if we want to govern ourselves and cope with our complex diversity.

In an era where global competition has spread to all parts of the world, we need to achieve self-government in line with international standards. If this is not achieved, other more- developed nations will continue to tell us how to govern ourselves (according to their image). We must be capable of determining our own destiny in an often-confusing global setting if we do not want other people to give us advice.

However, given its history, it is rather unlikely that Indonesians will be able to come up with a better concept than "enlightened democracy". Especially, if our leaders' overseas trips remain "picnics".

The writer is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Philosophy in Parahyangan University, Bandung.