The dangers of authoritarianism must be discussed and fought against from now on. Efforts to perpetuate power through methods that seem democratic must be prevented.
By
Bivitri Susanti
·4 minutes read
DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI BIVITRI SUSANTI
Bivitri Susanti
Loyalists and critics of rulers are a necessity in a democracy. What is unusual and dangerous in state governance is when critics are silenced in various ways.
Such methods include recruiting them and making them part of the ruling group so that they are no longer critical of it and even become government supporters, as well as putting pressure on critics who do not want to join and become part of the ruling group. Powerful interests seek to ensure their support not only through the recruitment of activists to become part of the government but also the subjugation of intellectuals through campus authorities or financially backed projects to advance policies that are often unwise.
Meanwhile, pressure is exerted in various ways. Physical pressure is used, for example, during demonstrations. Technology is also used to silence critical voices, such as through hacking and personal data breaches. The legal system, too, has often been misused to suppress critics, as was the case with Fatia Maulidiyanti and Haris Azhar, who were tried under the very problematic Information and Electronic Transactions (ITE) Law.
Perhaps we rarely discuss this phenomenon openly and in its entirety. This is because those who try to bring up the issue often get labeled anti-government, which is now even being expanded to the issue of religious fanaticism. It is not difficult to make this label stick, especially with the help of frenzied social media. As a result, critical efforts, which are truly important for democracy, are dwarfed, and critics are considered people who are just making noise and rejecting development.
The description above is actually sufficient to meet the characteristics of authoritarianism, namely a government that is managed with an iron fist rule, by one or a few people in power, with the aim of perpetuating their power and taking as much profit as possible. Juan Linz (1964) mentions at least four things that characterize authoritarianism: first, political pluralism that is limited by limiting legislative movements, political parties and interest groups; second, that the political legitimacy of the rulers is derived from the mere emotional impact of positioning them as providing solutions to visible social problems; third, minimal political mobilization and pressure on anti-government activity; and, fourth, the strengthening of executive power.
However, that illustration looks blurry, not clearly visible to all levels of society because democracy is being broken down in subtle ways, using the democratic instrument itself. There have been no dramatic armed attacks or robberies. Politicians use their power to make policies that only benefit themselves. Meanwhile, the people are treated with various forms of entertainment, such as MotoGP and various lighthouse projects. When the prices of basic necessities rise, the state budget is immediately disbursed to provide subsidies or cash assistance to maintain the legitimacy of the government.
A Roman poet, Juvenal, in the late first and early second centuries called this phenomenon “bread and circuses”. The term describes how the Roman people, who were actually poor and suffering at the time, still supported the ruler because he provided regular spectacles in the colosseum and distributed free bread. The phrase raises the fact that public support and legitimacy are obtained not from policy, but by offering attractions and satiety. Juvenal, with that phrase, also illustrates how personal pleasures can override the broader moral obligation of being critical of rulers who have failed.
The terrible thing about the situation in the Roman state at that time was that the show was getting more and more bloody, while the people cheered and lost their reason and humanity. We certainly don't want to get into that situation. The dangers of authoritarianism must be discussed and fought against from now on. Efforts to perpetuate power through methods that seem democratic must be prevented.
BIVITRI SUSANTI, Lecturer at the Jentera Indonesia School of Law
