By Yudi Latif
Manifestation of Indonesia’s democracy parable to clothes worn inside out. Basic value of Indonesia’s democracy is the spirit of mutual cooperation, kinship. In its development, mutual cooperation tends to negative tolerance: to accommodation pragmatic interest, transactional, political horse-trading, also cooperation on corruption and betrayal.
Meanwhile, kinship has slipped to democratic tendency controlled by powerful families -in capital or politics. Mohammad Natsir concerned of such democracy. He pointed, as Pancasila (Five Principles) tended towards negative tolerance, it could lead to compromise for the sake of accommodating all aspiration, without striving for the best.
“Tolerance without confrontation actually differs from of tolerance we denote, because it means only avoiding problems. What we need is confrontation in a tolerant environment, therefore from each idea and thoughts we propose, each of them will lead to the truth.”
Sharing common concerns, Roeslan Abdoelgani stated that tolerance as desired by Pancasila was a compromise in context of positive tolerance because it constantly led by wisdom. “I know there are some parties reject the idea of ‘compromise’, as the word often said as a result of weakness. On the contrary, most of the time compromise is a result of strong –not weak- faith towards positive tolerance (positive verdraagzaamheid). To compromise to reach a higher objective; not in term of ‘’cease fire’’ but in terms of living side by side in harmony and to “synthesize”.
In a speech during Pancasila’s on June 1, 1945, Bung Karno had reminded the importance of positive confrontation. In his perspective, ‘’There is no staat that really lives, if its representative council does not sit above “boiling volcano alike” on Candradimuka crater, without conceptual struggle inside.” Deliberation was expected to be guided by kinship spirit based on wisdom to reach qualified synthesis benefits to all.
Pancasila’s fourth principle, “Democracy led by the wisdom of deliberations among representatives’’ requires democracy consisting of people’s sentiment, deliberation, and wisdom. People’s sentiment aims to respect people’s will in politics, by giving role and big influence to the people in the government decision making process.
Deliberation sentiment sparks the desires to present unity of state which able to overcome individual and group credo, as a reflection of kinship spirit from Indonesia nationalism plurality, by admitting “equality in diversity”. Wisdom sentiment reflected ethical orientation, as required by preamble of 1945 Constitution that Republic of Indonesia’s structure with people sovereignty should be based on divinity, humanity, unity, deliberation and justice values.
In deliberation democracy, political decisions are told right if comply with four preconditions at the minimum. First, it must be based on rationality and justice principles not based on ideology and certain interest subjectivity. Second, it is dedicated to the interest of majority of people, not for individual or group interests.
Third, forward orientation, not for short term interest by destructive transactional accommodation (negative tolerance). Fourth, impartiality, by involving and take into consideration all parties’ opinions (even the smallest minority) inclusively, which could prevent the ruling elite and entrepreneurs minority dictations as well as majority claims.
(Indira Amiranti)
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