The Jakarta Post, October 23, 2006
Indonesian democracy on the decline
Aleksius Jemadu, Bandung
The current condition of Indonesian society is very much affected by the operation of
three organizations of human activities.
The first is democracy, which is supposed to organize political power in such a way
that it enhances public control and political equality.
The second is ! the organization of economic activities by the market whose main
principle is the primacy of efficiency and competitiveness to maximize profit. The third
is civil society whose main activity is the pursuit of public goals through independent
organizations and movements on the basis of egalitarianism and dialog.
As a matter of fact, both democracy and the market do not really function according
to the expectations of the majority of the Indonesian people. Democratic institutions
like political parties and elections only serve the interests of the political elite with the
effect that the grass roots are permanently marginalized.
For instance, local elections of governors, regents and mayors have become an arena
of business. A candidate who wins the election will be indebted to those who
contributed money for his or her campaign activities. Thus, the seeds of plutocracy
have been spread throughout the Indonesian political landscape.
There is a common misconception about the work of the market. Many believe that
the market works naturally through the interactions between supply and demand.
What many people do not know is that the market is socially constructed. Market
players deliberately create the market for certain purposes. For instance, a global
financial market is created and sustained by those who benefit from it. A market
economy that works at the national and global level always discriminates against the
economic interests of the poor. It is no wonder that the gap between the rich and the
poor is getting wider and wider.
In some instances a democratic state and market economy even conduct a
collaboration whose consequences are detrimental to the livelihoods of the grass
roots. The privatization of public services as an economic policy endorsed by a
democratic state in collaboration with agents of market economy, like the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, make those services too expensive
for people on low incomes. The abolition of subsidies for the sake of an efficient
allocation of resources has increased the number of people living under the poverty
line.
The only institution that can be expected to stop the process of dehumanization
caused by the shortcomings of a democratic state and the market is a robust civil
society. Independent groups like non-governmental organizations, labor unions,
student groups and religious institutions have the capacity to take part in the
accomplishment of public goals where the state is either incapable or just absent.
They work for a better environment, the protection of human rights, poverty alleviation,
gender equality and political freedom.
Unfortunately, civil society organizations and movements have their own internal
weaknesses.
First, those who join them are just a small number of educated elite and do not
necessarily represent the majority of the people. Most of the Indonesian NGO
activists prefer to work in cities with handsome salaries and are reluctant to live in
rural areas together with the people they claim to protect. Thus, even NGO activists
are also subject to market penetration, not only in their way of thinking but also in
their lifestyle.
Second, many Indonesian NGOs are competing for financial resources from donor
countries.
The tough competition makes them soft on the conditions required by their funding
agencies with the effect that they just become instruments of the capitalist system. It
is no wonder that some NGOs tend to prolong the dependence of their clients in order
to ensure the allocation of funds. Thus, the empowerment of the poor tends to be
permanent and there is no clear timetable for when the poor can be made strong
enough to defend their interests.
Third, the world of NGOs in Indonesia is very loose and they have not established a
comprehensive code of conduct.
The idea of establishing a system of certification for NGOs should be endorsed so
that at the end of the day we might have only the ones that are professional and
capable of producing a positive effect in society. It is high time we gave more serious
attention to the role of civil society organizations in Indonesia and the professional
qualifications they should have so that together with other elements of our political
society we can rescue our democracy from further decay.
The writer is the head of the department of international relations and the head of the
MA study program in international relations at Parahyangan University, Bandung. He
can be reached at aljemadu@yahoo.co.uk
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