Kompas - October 10,
2011
The
political, economic, social and cultural situation, over which there has been
great apprehension of late, has resulted in the public almost entirely loosing
trust in those who run the country. As a consequence of the behaviour of the
bureaucrats and politicians that that control key state institutions, the
country appears to have lost direction.
BI Purwantar – More than
three-quarters of respondents stated that their trust in the government has
steadily weakened. This is based on their dissatisfaction with how the
administration is being run. This view was revealed in a Kompas survey across
12 major Indonesian cities between October 5 and 7, 2011. The negative
assessment of those who run the country has been triggered by the behaviour of
the politicians, bureaucrats and law enforcement agencies, which are increasingly
demonstrating an attitude and behaviour that is far from the goal of bringing
prosperity to society, let alone humanity as a whole. Not surprisingly, the
exposure of corruption cases linked to the Bank Century bailout, the judicial
mafia, the taxation mafia, and now, the House of Representatives' (DPR) Budget
Committee, has filled the public's perspectives with only negative views.
In relation to corrupt
behaviour, almost 100 percent of respondents agree that the current sale of
corruption in all state institutions is massive, including suspicions by a
majority of respondents that this involves corruption within circles close to
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY).
Even efforts to root out graft
by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) are not seen as being able to
break this chain of corruption.
Instead of creating a
deterrent effect, the KPK's efforts have instead resulted in "attacks and
counter attacks" by members of the state's institutions. The most recent
example of this is the dispute between the KPK and the DPR's Budget Committee.
The KPK's summoning of members of the Budget Committee in relations to alleged
corruption was countered by a proposal by DPR members to dissolve the KPK. In
this, the "predatory" character of DPR members was nakedly revealed.
In response to the affair, three-quarters of respondents explicitly stated that
they rejected the proposal to dissolve the KPK. The respondents were convinced
that it was motivated simply by the DPR's desire to block efforts to uncover
corruption and not to improve the KPK.
Procedural democracy
The general views of
respondents also reflected that the democratic conditions in the country are
relatively better than during the New Order period of former President Suharto.
This has been demonstrated by a strengthening of democratic elements such as
the fulfillment of civil and political rights, freedom of expression,
relatively smooth elections and the strengthening of civil society.
Also indicated however was
that these democratic practices are limited to the procedural, and have not yet
touched upon substantive areas. Democracy is built on the foundations of
individual freedoms, a differentiation between public and private space, along
with the broadening of private space in the social and economic sphere.
This has proceeded in
conjunction with the state relinquishing its role in social and economic areas
and is related to economy's integration into the regime of the free market. The
consequence of this is that the understanding of democracy is not linked to
social justice or the direct participation of citizens in creating it.
There are several examples
of this. Elections, which are promoted as free, are actually ridden with money
political and forces that control capital, which use the state's assets to
maintain power. The decentralisation of power, which has been packaged in
policies of regional autonomy, mostly maintains the old ruling elite rather
than giving rise to bright and creative alternative leaders. Not to mention
discriminative practices and acts of violence against minority groups that
continue unabated, both quietly and openly.
In the midst of this, the
pillars of democracy such as the political parties and the DPR have
metamorphosised into a political force of rent seekers. Disappointment with
these elements of democracy has resulted in more than half of respondents (56.7
percent) being pessimistic that the administration will be able to extract the
Indonesian nation from the problems it faces.
Fragile social basis
In a democratic system that
operates simply on a procedural level, social collective ties at the community
level have become extremely fragile. This has occurred because the basis of
these ties are being masked by narrow and short-term interests. This can be
observed from the rapid growth of groups that are driven by narrow primordial
and fundamentalist ties that are protected by political forces in order to
maintain power.
Conversely groups that
should be fighting for community issues and social justice have failed to unit
into a solid force. The labour movement for example, is still fragmented.
Student or youth groups have been lulled into sleep and isolated by the
economic corridors of the education system.
The public is quite well
aware of this situation. More than half of respondents (58.4 percent) said that
currently there is no consolidation of the political elite that is seeking to
improve the disturbing and confusing situation that the nation faces. A strong
leader capable of changing the situation is yet to emerge. This could be a
warning that the fresh breeze of democracy that reverberated following the
reformasi (political reform) movement in 1998 is still confined within the
stale air of the narrow cave of reformasi. (Kompas Research and Development)
[Translated by James
Balowski.]
Kompas
Survey Results
Generally speaking, are
you satisfied or dissatisfied with the administration of the country?
|
Don't
know/didn't answer
|
|
2.5
|
|
How do you rate the
situation in the following institutions?
Corruption
within state institutions
|
99.2%
|
0.6%
|
0.2%
|
|
|
Political
conflicts within the police
|
93.7%
|
3.3%
|
3.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Corruption
in circles close to the president
|
88.7%
|
6.7%
|
4.6%
|
|
|
Bad
|
|
Good
|
|
Don't
know/didn't answer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Do you think that the following
things exist?
A
consolidation of the political elite to improve the nation
|
29.3%
|
58.4%
|
12.3%
|
|
|
A
consolidation of civil groups to improve the nation
|
39.4%
|
50.0%
|
14.1%
|
|
|
|
|
|
A
strong leader that can improve the nation
|
39.5%
|
52.8%
|
7.7%
|
|
|
Yes
|
|
No
|
|
Don't
know/didn't answer
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Are you satisfied or
dissatisfied with the following components of the nation?
The
government in protecting citizen's rights
|
21.3%
|
75.4%
|
3.3%
|
|
|
The
government in improving welfare
|
16.0%
|
81.8%
|
2.2%
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
police, AGO & judiciary in upholding the law
|
15.8%
|
82.9%
|
1.3%
|
|
|
The
KPK in eradicating corruption
|
25.7%
|
73.5%
|
0.8%
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
DPR as the people's representatives
|
9.5%
|
89.4%
|
1.1%
|
|
|
The
political parties political function
|
8.1%
|
88.1%
|
3.8%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Satisfied
|
|
Dissatisfied
|
|
Don't
know/didn't answer
|
|
|
|
|
