Indonesia’s Hopes at 75

ABK

Azyumardi Azra

Happy 75th Anniversary to Indonesia! It is an age that exceeds the average life expectancy of Indonesians (71.39 years according to 2019 data), and even the global average life expectancy (72 years). Judging from the life cycle of human beings, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is no longer young, but a senior.

At 75 years (of independence), it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people from “Angkatan 45” (the 1945 generation), the people who fought for independence with their heart, soul and body to formally establish Indonesia as a sovereign nation on 17 Aug. 1945. Their struggle continued through the period of revolution, and on through the Old Order, the New Order and the Reform eras.

What might the people from Angkatan 45 say if they saw Indonesia today? For them, today’s Indonesia in many ways is beyond what they had imagined; it was never even imagined. Although it is still underdeveloped in certain respects, Indonesia’s contemporary achievements remain a source of pride.

Without going into detail of the unimaginable progress it has made across various aspects of life, Indonesia is full of hope and is very promising. Among these hopes is the belief that Indonesia will become the fourth or fifth largest economy in the world as it approaches its 100th independence anniversary in 2045.

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This is the projection of credible institutions such as the World Economic Forum and PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC). The projection is not “menggantang asap” (full of smoke), and is based on careful calculation and analysis.

The 25 years to 2045 is not a very long time. Today\'s millennial generation will be living witnesses to whether that hope will be realized in 2045 or not. This is the "Indonesian Dream" for the next 25 years.

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Then the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in early March, with cases continuing to increase through August. The transmission curve has shown no signs of flattening. If countries like Japan, Britain or Spain are now facing a second wave of Covid-19 infection, we have no way of knowing what could happen to Indonesia if the curve flattens only to be followed by a second wave of infection.

The Covid-19 health crisis has caused disruption and chaos in many aspects of life, including health, politics, the economy, society and culture, and religion. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a major factor in the setbacks Indonesia has experienced at the age of 75. These setbacks, the impacts of which will last many years, clearly make it even more difficult to realize the "Indonesian Dream."

While the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 health crisis will be resolved at some point, the many achievements made in the last few decades have diminished. The challenges are manifold, knotted like thread, and are not easily untangled. The combined complexity of these problems requires addressing them simultaneously.

They cannot work as usual, because it is not “business as usual”.

What should be done to tackle the challenges and problems due to the disruptions caused by Covid-19 and its various impacts on politics, the economy, law and society?

Obviously, there is no instant solution for solving the government’s growing problems. As the authority that holds the power and the mandate to administer the state, all government officials need to possess commitment, speed, decisiveness and determination in solving the multitude of problems.

In this, state officials from the highest to the lowest levels must once again reinforce their “sense of crisis”. They cannot work as usual, because it is not “business as usual”.

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Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Train passengers undergo a rapid Covid-19 test at Gambir Station, Jakarta, Friday (31/7/2020). This express test service is only for long-distance train passengers who already have a ticket.

Overcoming the Covid-19 epidemic and recovering the economy are clearly the government\'s top priorities. In tackling these two serious issues, the government stated it must strike a balance between the “brake and accelerator".

Hitting the brakes on the citizens\' freedom of movement to bring Covid-19 transmission under control while pressing the accelerator at the same time to drive economic recovery is clearly no easy feat. It is not impossible that failure will ensue counts: the Covid-19 health crisis will be prolonged and the number of cases will continue to rise, while the economy does not recover.

The government needs to do an about-face and first resolve the cause of the problems: the health crisis. The central and regional administrations must bolster various means to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission by minimizing the potential for new epicenters and clusters of infection, which are continuing to emerge. If the spread of Covid-19 can be halted, we can hit the gas pedal towards economic recovery.

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What is required to realize the hopes of 75-year-old Indonesia?

The government clearly plays a key role in tackling the variety of problems. Fulfilling that role, however, will take extraordinary effort in solving tough problems. Here, the government, from the central to the regional, must again commit to consolidation and revitalization.

Regarding consolidation, the government must drop its tendency to look at recentralization. Signs of recentralization can be seen, for example, in some of the deregulation the central government has undertaken to culminate in the drafting of the Job Creation Omnibus Bill. Intended to abolish a variety of regional regulations (bylaws) that had been deemed to hinder investment, the omnibus bill has diminished the regional autonomy that has been in place for 21 years.

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KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Joko Tjandra, the fugitive convicted in the Bank Bali graft case, is escorted to a detention car after arriving at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport, Jakarta, Thursday (30/7/2020). The National Police arrested Joko Tjandra in Malaysia.

Part of this consolidation involves the reconciling and revitalizing Indonesia’s democracy. Although the 2019 Indonesian Democracy Index (IDI) has risen to 74.92 from 72.39 previously, the country still scores poorly in a number of indicators under the civil liberties category, such as attacks on freedom of expression.

In addition, it is necessary to revitalize civil society, which has been marginalized in recent years. Civil society has been on a declining trend as regards the respect and place it deserves from the government and the House of Representatives (DPR). These two entities, on some occasions, have stopped involving civil society in the deliberation of new laws.

If Indonesia\'s hopes are to be promoted, consolidating law enforcement is required. Corruption eradication must again be one of the key priorities. Do not allow the reoccurrence of cases like that of convicted Bank Bali fugitive Joko S. Tjandra, which allegedly involved facilitation by the legal apparatus. Those who were supposed to enforce the law instead violated the law.

Civil society has been on a declining trend as regards the respect and place it deserves from the government and the House of Representatives (DPR).

No less important is social and economic justice as one of Indonesia’s hopes at 75. Even after 75 years of independence, the promise of social justice for all Indonesians is still far from being realized. Economic injustice, which has been increasingly rampant, has also contributed to social and political injustices to trigger mass societal unrest.

Economic justice can be realized by not only adopting affirmative policies on economic empowerment of the poor, but also by eliminating systemic injustice and oppression in the economic and political spheres.

As long as systemic injustice and violence persist, it will be difficult to fulfill the hopes for a Triumphant Indonesia on its centennial in 2045.

AZYUMARDI AZRA, History professor, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University; Member of AIPI.