Power Hunger

KOMPAS/ WAWAN H PRABOWO

A mural satiating the behavior of politicians on Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan, Jakarta, Wednesday (30/7/2014).

In the midst of a pandemic that is still alarming, acts of fighting against one another, brawling and grabbing each other ahead of the next general election continue without respite. Great is the number of “political investors” in the sphere of power struggles. The large capital needed for such political power plays has not dampened the desire of the aspirants to place their bets.

Entering the latest chapter of (this nation’s) democratic reform story, big-name political actors have begun to withdraw from the arena, providing opportunities for ordinary actors to take center stage. This is the era of the common man. This shift can create positive conditions for egalitarian democracy, if it is supported by a meritocratic system that allows the “leadership market” to be accessed by people from all walks of life as long as they are capable. It could also have a negative impact, if this era of ordinary people only provides an outlet for political narcissism of self-worshiping politicians.

Just because they are armed with "descent", attractive appearance and have thick pockets, some with little achievement feel worthy to lead this country.

When admiration for the "big names" begins to fade as a result of the deterioration of the prestige of exemplary leaders, many people instinctively turn their admiration to themselves (self-glorification). Just because they are armed with "descent", attractive appearance and have thick pockets, some with little achievement feel worthy to lead this country.

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The explosion of narcissism that drives madness to power has its own destructive potential for democracy. As Montesquieu said: "The principle of democracy becomes corrupt not only when the spirit of equality is lost, but also when the spirit of extreme equality is adopted and everyone wants to be equal to those he chooses to command him.”

Those placing bets who do not have enough national insight, social capital or deep enough track records in public affairs are easily tempted to cover up their shortcomings by multiplying image manipulation. The engineering value of the packaging is much greater than the quality of the content. This has created a landfill of “plastic leaders” who are not authentic in our public space.

Plastic leaders never pay attention to the contents of life and the direction of life. A leader who does not offer the contents of life and direction in life, to borrow Bung Karno\'s words, is a shallow leader. "He is a leader who is fond of fake gold, not pure gold. He loves the glitter of the worldly stuff, not the essence of truth and justice." He wants to lead a great nation that is plagued by many problems not by the power of vision, but by impression.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A mural of the proclaimed figure of the Republic of Indonesia, Soekarno, adorns a wall in Gaga Village, South Larangan, Tangerang City, Banten, Saturday (9/9/2017).

The mediocratic and inauthentic tendencies of this kind of leader do not meet Indonesia\'s need for true leadership during crisis. In times of crisis with various phenomena of social disorganization, the political world actually needs a bigger leadership role. What is needed is not only a good leader, but a great leader. Greatness here is not in the sense of the capacity to dominate and coerce, but it is reflected in the authenticity of character to love, protect, care for and discipline.

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In a nation characterized by a tendency to justify habit, not to get used to the justified, the common habits that develop are often destructive, as reflected in the term "culture of corruption". In such a situation, what is needed is not a conformist leader whose political gesture follows the expectations of the corrosive establishment. What is needed is an eccentric leader who can think outside the box and dare to offer choices that are different from the mainstream.

As John Stuart Mill points out, social creativity requires eccentricity. Then he adds that the amount of eccentricity in a society is generally proportional to the number of geniuses, mental strength and moral courage that the society contains. The fact that currently Indonesia is experiencing a deficit of eccentric leaders that stand out for mental strength, solid ideas and moral courage to make their own choices outside of external constraints and pressures, is a challenge that must be resolved by our electoral institutions.

In addition, there is a paradox between a preference for direct elections, which leads society toward individualism and the absence of social institutions that can develop autonomy and individual character.

A number of issues have arisen from our electoral institutions. The high cost of power makes many parties more supportive of common people who dare to spend money than of eccentric ones who have no capital. In addition, there is a paradox between a preference for direct elections, which leads society toward individualism and the absence of social institutions that can develop autonomy and individual character.

In the weakness of the logic of enlightenment, legal certainty and a creative ecosystem, the space for individual autonomy is narrowed by the necessity to be part of communal tradition. Most individuals grow up with a conformist mentality, not as sovereign individuals who can choose based on their thinking power and learn not to learn (imitate) from bad traditions.

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The shift toward individualism without the strength of individual characters creates a crowd bubble in the public space. This crowd mentality without the capacity for public reasoning is vulnerable to manipulation by financial incentives to build a certain image or persuaded by tribalist sentiment in the form of fundamentalism, thuggery and nepotism.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Yudi Latif

A democracy based on individualism in the midst of a crowd mentality truly gives an opportunity for the emergence of two types of public leaders: those who are hungry for power and those who take power with recourse to craziness. In fact, the one able to heal a nation in crisis and bring about national transformation is a "somewhat crazy" and eccentric leader.

YUDI LATIF, Expert on National Alliance

(This article was translated by Kurniawan H. Siswoko).