The decline of Indonesian democracy, they say, is due to the decreasing freedom of aspirations, along with the rise of despotic and transactional oligarchies.
By
AZYUMARDI AZRA
·5 minutes read
Kompas/Wawan H Prabowo
Motorcyclists cross a racist campaign mural during the General Election which is depicted on Jalan Dukuh Atas, Jakarta, Friday (19/6/2020).
”So let’s begin anew [...] remembering on all sides that [political] civility is not a sign of weakness [...] Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. Let us explore what [things] unite us [...] instead of those problems divide us.” —(John F Kennedy, ”Inaugural Address”, 20/1/1961)
Twenty-three years after the wave of democratization in 1998, Indonesia\'s democracy has not yet been consolidated. This bitter phenomenon is highlighted by “Indonesianis” (experts focusing on Indonesian issues), political scientists, observers and activists who said this has something to do with a decline in democracy.
The decline of Indonesian democracy, they say, is due to the decreasing freedom of aspirations, along with the rise of despotic and transactional oligarchies. In addition, there has been a deterioration in good governance with corruption that continues amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another indicator of the decline in democracy is the unhealthy life of political parties. Although political reform has come to many political aspects, political parties are not getting healthier; in certain aspects they are getting worse.
The decline of democracy is also much related to the unconsolidated cultural values that are essential for making societies and nation-states survive and achieving progress. The weakness of basic cultural values has disrupted political and government processes, disturbing social, cultural and religious life in many levels of society.
The basic cultural values are public civility, namely social, cultural and religious norms, standards or values regarding individual and community actions. Public civility guides how citizens think and act.
Norms and standards that are not regulated are adopted as a social-cultural decorum — appropriate behavior that is acceptable to all citizens.
The norms and values for behavior and action are formulated in regulations that bind all citizens. That way, public civility can be legally enforced. Norms and standards that are not regulated are adopted as a social-cultural decorum — appropriate behavior that is acceptable to all citizens.
Another important part of public civility is the way to behave and act according to political norms, such as outlined in the political systems, political regulations, political conventions and political correctness. Political civility is also the appropriateness and customs of social, cultural and religious behavior and the actions of individuals or groups and political parties.
Related to that, Indonesia\'s political civility continues to decline. This phenomenon, for example, can be seen in the chaos within the Democratic Party. Not satisfied with the leadership of Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), several (former) elite Democrats held an extraordinary congress (KLB) in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, on March 5. In a short time, the KLB participants decided to elect Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko as the [shadow] chairman of the Democratic Party.
KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA
Moeldoko made a speech at the Extraordinary Democratic Party Congress after being elected as General Chair, in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, Friday (5/3/2021).
For many circles, it is absurd that a high-ranking official is willing to accept the position of chairman of the Democrats through a takeover — or in political science terminology, a hijacking, piracy. Supposedly, high officials and political elites provide good examples of political civility.
It is also absurd that the direct superior of this high-ranking official, namely President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, did not know about the maneuver and prevent Moeldoko from participating in an act that the AHY camp called unconstitutional and illegal. The President should not allow a political uproar involving officials in his inner circle.
President Jokowi should emphasize that the Democrats must resolve their internal problems in a civilized manner. He also needs to emphasize that no government officials should be involved. However, the President did not speak openly about the Democrats and Moeldoko, with any mention of his reaction made by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD who said, "President Jokowi was shocked, but remained happy" when he learned about this case (Kompas.com, 11/3/2021).
This case involving the Democratic Party is an example of the lack of political civility in Indonesia’s political landscape. Therefore, public civility and political civility must be nurtured in order to foster a civil culture in inter-citizen relations in the public sphere, civilized political attitudes and behavior vis-à-vis power in a democratic system.
Democracy can grow well and be consolidated if there is strong public civility and civic culture. Democracy can be vibrant and dynamic with the support and involvement of civil society as a controlling force and counterbalance to oligarchic regimes and political elites who tend to ignore political civility.
It is clear that only with strong political civility can public civility be created to advance the life of the nation-state.
How can we build political civility so that democracy can be better consolidated? It is clear that only with strong political civility can public civility be created to advance the life of the nation-state.
For today\'s urgent interests, public officials and political elites should apply political civility outlined by various regulations, norms and standards for relations between citizens. Public officials and political elites should refrain from uncivilized political practices or barbaric politics.
TANGKAPAN LAYAR AKUN YOUTUBE AGUS HARIMURTI YUDHOYONO
Chairman of the Democratic Party, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, explained the Democrat\'s stance on the Extraordinary Democratic Party Congress in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, Friday (5/3/2021).
For that purpose, public officials and political elites need to get familiarized with the implementation of political civility. Public officials who are elected through national or local elections (pilkada) should not be considered to have good knowledge on various aspects of public civility. Many of them do not have an adequate track record of public leadership because they come from circles of dynastic oligarchy or the business sector that often break the norms of political civility.
Public civility — as well as political civility — also needs to be familiarized through all educational institutions. Awareness is raised not by the mere provision of knowledge, but more importantly, by practicing public civility throughout the education and learning process, which must be increasingly democratic.
ABK
Azyumardi Azra
Family is the primary locus of the formation of public civility for each member in the household. Therefore, it is necessary to empower the family as a locus of civic education and civility.
AZYUMARDI AZRA, Professor of History, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah; Member of KK AIPI
This article was translated by Kurniawan H. Siswoko.
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