Indonesia, Islam And Democracy – Analysis
By Bawono Kumoro
During a ceremony at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, where he received an honorary doctorate, President Yudhoyono tackled the global perception that Islam and democracy could not work together. The president said that he believed Indonesia was a good example to highlight how democracy, modernization and Islam worked hand in hand.
Furthermore, President Yudhoyono said Muslims in Indonesia are very comfortable with democracy and with modernity. Thus, the Indonesian democracy may well offer valuable lessons to Arab Spring countries who are now facing similar challenges.
Debate
The debate over the relationship between Islam and democracy rests not only on Islamic doctrine but also on history. Essentially, democracy is a system of governance where sovereignty lies in the hands of the people. But many will say this contradicts with the doctrine of Islam, since in the Islamic view, sovereignty lies in the hand of God. Advocates of this line of thinking put forward three arguments.
First, there is the fundamentally different view of the nation, or ummah. The view of the nation in modern democracy is tied to a physical space marked by territorial and geographical borders. On the other hand, Islam has its own understanding of a nation that is not bounded by borders, but by aqidah (the basic tenets of Islam). Therefore, for many Muslims, nation is defined by faith, not by geography.
Second, some Muslim scholars see democracy as a worldly value, when spiritual goals are of primary importance. Democracy thus becomes a secondary goal.
Third, a contradiction arises because the people’s sovereignty that lies at the heart of democracy is absolute, meaning the people are the ultimate holders of power. Laws and regulations are decided by the people through their representatives and not by God. But for some scholars, the people’s sovereignty is not absolute at all, since it is bound by the laws of Islam. In Islam, only God’s sovereignty is absolute.
These three interpretations are used by some Muslims to argue that there is no space for democracy in their lives. However, there are many Muslims who take the opposite view, arguing that democracy is inherent in people and in line with Islamic teachings. They base their argumentation on Islamic doctrines —justice, freedom, deliberation and equality— that espouse the basic principles of democracy.
At this level, Islam does not speak about a procedural system but more about the basic soul and spirit of democracy. If the interpretation of democracy is the existence of certain social and political ideals, like the freedom of thought, faith, opinion and equality before the law, there would seem no contradiction, as these are guaranteed by Islam.
There are several cultural factors that have slowed the growth of democracy in the Islamic countries of the Middle East.
First, there is a strong monolithic paradigm of thought over Islam. Such a paradigm stems from Middle Eastern Muslims’ limited understanding of Islam’s nature and essence, both in regards to Koran and Hadith and in regards to history.
Islam is often viewed as a divine instrument to understand the world, and such a perception has prompted some Muslims to believe that Islam offers a complete way of life (kaffah). In this understanding, Islam is an all-encompassing system of belief that offers a solution to all of life’s problems.
This view of Islam as perfect and comprehensive has a number of implications. If Islam is transformed for use at the level of political ideology and political practice, this could lead to the political belief that Islam must become the state’s basis of existence, Islamic jurisprudence must be accepted as the state’s constitution and sovereignty would lie in the hands of God.
In short, in the context of such a perspective the modern political system of rule by the people is in direct conflict with Islam.
Second, the absence of democracy in the Middle East could also be explained by the weak political will of the regimes to accommodate democracy. Leadership has long been based on family ties and regimes would lose this prerogative.
Third, the most ironic thing about the absence of democracy in the Middle East is the often tacit support of the Western world —the United States in particular— for the existence of the authoritarian regimes.
The United States has seemed to care less about whether Middle Eastern autocracies developed any democratic character than about how they were able to secure America’s various economic imperialistic interests. This has nothing to do with the nature of Islam, but it is obvious that the West, particularly the United States, is not always fully in step with its own exhortations to promote democracy globally.
Of special note, however, is the fact that the absence of democracy in countries of the Middle East is not a feature of the wider Muslim world. Indonesia, for example, has seen much success in the transition from an authoritarian regime to a democratic system of governance. While Indonesia still has a long way to go before democracy fully takes root, at the very least it has been quite successful in tearing down the walls of tyrannical power.
Indonesia’s experience
The general elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009 were testament to the wave of democratization here, and the direct elections of a president and a vice president through indicated a new phase history of Indonesian politics.
However, the most substantial and revolutionary change has occurred at the level of civil society. Muslims in Indonesia, slowly but surely, have grown and developed to become a rational, autonomous and progressive community. They have started to be able to think rationally and critically especially when they are facing the political and religious elite, which tends to be intrusive, manipulative and exploitative.
The basis of Indonesian Muslims’ political preference is more in the courage of their thinking in line with their rational reasoning. The courage to think rationally has contributed to the creation of a free public sphere, and this has been instrumental for Muslims in Indonesia to create the culture of open and fair political participation.
Indonesia would thus seem to prove that Islamic doctrine itself is not in contradiction with democracy. Instead, Muslims’ interpretation of Islamic doctrine and cultural heritage forms their views on the value of democracy and its relationship to Islam.
As the most Muslim-populous country in the world, Indonesia can play a significant role in efforts to promote democratization in the Islamic World. The nation is a real-world example of the compatibility of Islam and democracy, one that could serve as a model for countries in the wider Islamic world.
Bawono Kumoro is political researcher at The Habibie Center. He graduated from State Islamic University, Jakarta, with Political Sciences major. Currently, he is pursuing his post-graduate degree in Political Communications in Paramadina Graduate School.
EurasiaReview.com
Let’s start now before it’s too late
Indonesia is hailed as an outstanding success story of the modern world. Suharto’s military dictatorship transformed into a vibrant democracy; it’s a Muslim-majority country where the extremists are losing; where the economy booms and poverty falls. But for how long?
One of Indonesia’s best-known statesmen worries that the country could face mass unrest in the future unless it improves its democratic structures.
The previous Indonesian minister for foreign affairs, now a member of the president’s council of advisers, Hassan Wirajuda, said that the country of 240 million people needed “a second wave of democratic reforms”.
Indonesia goes to the polls to elect a new president next year, with the first round of voting in July. The 10-year tenure of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the former general universally known as SBY, will come to an end as he reaches his constitutional term limit.
His first term was widely regarded as outstanding; his second term is generally regarded a huge disappointment. Without Yusuf Kalla, the hard-driving, can-do vice-president he had by his side in the first term, SBY has been found to be timid and ineffectual.
“People don’t feel urgency now, but when economic conditions are not so good, we will have a reaction on the street,” Dr Wirajuda said.
“The danger is that if the government doesn’t deal with it, there is dissatisfaction at a deeper level with the current state of democracy. People may take it in[to] their own hand[s].
“People now realise that this is not the final structure; it’s not finished,” he said in an interview in Sydney on Monday before attending the annual Indonesia-Australia Dialogue.
SBY himself promised a “second wave” of democratic reforms. Like many of his second-term promises and plans, however, they have come to naught.
“The announcement two years ago was not followed up because SBY became a lame duck too soon,” Dr Wirajuda said. It’s not that he sees any full regression to authoritarianism; democracy is too well entrenched.
“We’ve reached a point of no return – maybe 5 per cent want a return to authoritarian presidents, and 72 per cent of people want democracy, in a poll taken a few years ago.” It is the terms of the democracy that worry him.
A leading scholar on Indonesia, the Australian National University’s Greg Fealy, agrees that Dr Wirajuda is right to worry about the system. “There has been some democratic regression in the last couple of years, largely driven by the parties in the parliament.
”None has been especially harmful so far, but they are small chips. Overall it’s going backwards, not forwards,” he said.
Dr Fealy’s chief concern is the parliament’s relentless assaults on the ferocious national anti-corruption commission, known by its Indonesian acronym KPK.
It has proved fearless of the powerful and hugely popular with the people. It has declared two potential presidential candidates to be suspects, for instance, destroying their careers. And the parliamentarians hate it.
“Everyone feels vulnerable; everyone feels at risk,” Dr Fealy said, “because they are all on the take, one way or another. Indonesian politics is expensive.”
And even though SBY himself is seen as clean, his son and wife recently have come under suspicion, threatening his legacy.
The parliament so far has had only limited successes in curbing the KPK, but it is not about to relent.
What to do? Dr Wirajuda prescribes more public funding for election campaigns. “We need regular public contributions to political parties so there is less temptation to corruption,” a proposal that Dr Fealy said was spot-on.
Dr Wirajuda also argues that the powers of the Parliament need to be crimped. “We have a presidential system, but our members of Parliament behave as if they are in a parliamentary system.
“There has been a flow of power from the executive to the parliament. We have constitutional confusion; there is competing legitimacy here. There are power struggles. It makes governing much more difficult.”
He gives an example. SBY sensibly proposed curtailing the subsidy that the government pays to keep down the price of petrol.
It’s tremendously costly, taking one-third of the national budget. But the Parliament refused and the proposal died. “This is a very fundamental issue we need to address,” Dr Wirajuda said. “We need a strong president.” Dr Fealy differs. It might be all right if you have SBY as president, or the current favourite to replace him, the vigorously reformist mayor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, for instance.
“But what happens if you get Prabowo as president?” Dr Fealy poses, referring to the former head of the Indonesian special forces and a son-in-law of the great dictator, Suharto. Prabowo is consistently one of the two top-rated candidates for the presidency.
“He has autocratic tendencies. At the moment we have a president who wouldn’t chance his arm, but if Prabowo is president he may want very much to chance his muscular arm, and that would be a problem,” Dr Fealy said.
If not a stronger presidency, then what? No serious reform seems likely in the remaining year-and-a-half of the SBY era, but Dr Wirajuda wants these issues to be on the table for debate, and he worries that they are not. Still, he counsels patience.
“We had to do a lot of things all at once – the country was virtually in collapse” in 1998, when the three-decade Suharto era ended amid economic crisis and popular unrest.
“We had to do economic development, look after democracy, the rule of law, human rights, corruption, all at once.
“What we have is good. I held a roundtable last year and a German professor told us that we shouldn’t be so negative. What we have done in 10 years took Germany 600. But we are aware of our weaknesses.”
Peter Hartcher is the international editor.
3 RI local leaders nominated for the World Mayor Prize
(The Jakarta Post) Three Indonesian local leaders, namely South Sulawesi Governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, and Surakarta Mayor Joko Widodo, have been nominated for the 2012 World Mayor Prize from the City Mayors’ Foundation.
Up to April 2, according to the foundation’s official website www.worldmayor.com, the three Indonesian regional leaders will compete with 24 other mayors from Europe, 15 from North America, 14 from Asia, 12 from Latin America, six from Africa and three from Australia.
The foundation will continue to accept nominations until mid-May, the website announced on Monday.
A shortlist of 25 nominees will be published in early June 2012, and the winner of the 2012 World Mayor Prize and the other results of the World Mayor Project will be announced in early December 2012.
The biannual prize has since 2004 been awarded to mayors who have made outstanding contributions to his/her community, and who have developed a vision for urban living and working that is relevant for towns and cities across the world.
No Indonesian mayor or other regional leader has ever received the prize.
Commenting on his nomination, Joko Widodo said he did not feel it was something special. “I am only concerned with my job; it is other people or institutions that assess whether the results are good or bad,” Joko said as quoted by tribunnews.com.
Indonesia Semakin Berperan di Tingkat Internasional
Indonesia melalui Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono menyatakan kesiapan Indonesia dalam memikul tanggung jawab yang lebih besar di kancah internasional. Hal ini diutarakan saat kunjungan Sekjen PBB Ban Ki-Moon di Istana Bogor, 20 Maret 2012 lalu.
“kami (Presiden SBY dan Sekjen PBB) merancang hubungan kemitraan strategik baik antara pemerintah Indonesia denga Perwakilan PBB di Jakarta maupun dengan PBB pada umumnya” terang Presiden SBY.
Ban Ki-Moon juga menyatakan rasa senangnya atas hubungan baik Indonesia yang terjalin dengan PBB selama ini.
Selain membicarakan masalah bilateral PBB-Indonesia, keduanya juga bertukar pikiran soal perkembangan Timur Tengah dan Afrika Utara, pentingnya Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), perubahan iklim dan KTT Rio+20.
Selain itu, mereka juga berdiskusi soal perkembangan isu Laut China Selatan, proses demokasi di Myanmar, Semenanjung Korea dan perbatasan Thailand dan Kamboja.
Saat membicarakan tentang Indonesia, Ban Ki-Moon memuji kemajuan yang telah dicapai oleh Indonesia, salah satunya adalah peran keketuaan Indonesia di ASEAN 2011, upaya dalam memelihara kerukunan dan keharmonisan dan pencapaian di bidang sosial dan ekonomi.
News Source: Deplu
Hingar Bingar Politik dan Kreatifitas Anak Bangsa
Perseteruan Politik Jangan Sampai Membunuh Kreativitas Bangsa.
Oleh: Drs. Ahmad Cholis Hamzah, MSc, alumni Universitas Airlangga dan university of London. Dosen STIE PERBANAS Surabaya.
Kalau kita mengikuti perdebatan di TV hari-hari ini tentang kepemimpinan bangsa (baca: Presiden), maka kita bisa berbangga bahwa dinamika demokrasi di negeri ini sudah berkembang dengan baik, ada kebebesan semua orang untuk mengemukakan pendapatnya yang kadang-kadang sering pedas dan keras, misalnya menyimpulkan bahwa negeri ini sudah tidak ada pilotnya, sehingga tidak bisa mengemudikan pesawat yang penumpangnya rakyat banyak. Malah ada yang menggunakan kata-kata yang cukup keras – bahwa negara ini (maaf) seperti “Kentut” alias keberadaannya tidak bisa dilihat atau rakyat tidak bisa merasakan adanya kehadiran pemerintah.
Kita boleh setuju atau tidak setuju dengan berbagai pendapat politik seperti itu karena negeri ini adalah negeri demokrasi terbesar ketiga di dunia setelah Amerika Serikat dan India. Penulis tidak akan membahasnya hal ini di goodnewsfromindonesia ini – karena soal seperti ini bukan “maqom” nya blog ini. Yang perlu di cermati sebenarnya bahwa bangsa ini harus mengaca atau belajar dari negara-negara yang sudah established – jangan jauh-jauh mengaca pada Amerika Serikat, tapi pada Korea Selatan atau Jepang. Di kedua negeri ini orang sering disuguhi anggota DPRnya sedang berkelahi, dan Presiden dan Perdana Menterinya umur pemerintahannya pendek karena sering diganti. Akan tetapi pergolakan kaum elit di pusat kedua negeri ini tidak membuat ekonomi diseluruh negeri menjadi macet. Bahkan para ilmuwan, para peneliti, para produsen mobil, computer, kamera, dan alat-alat canggih lainnya masih tenang bekerja untuk kemajuan bangsanya. Para petani dan para pengusahanya terus menaikkan produktivitasnya agar produk-produk mereka membanjiri pasar global. Sekolah-sekolah tidak tutup, mahasiswa/wi masih dengan cerianya belajar di perpustakaan-perpustakaan kampus. Para penumpang kereta api bawah tanah di Tokyo dan Seoul terus berjubel melakukan aktivitasnya setiap hari, mereka tidak takut ada bakar-bakar ban mobil, penutupan jalan dsb. Pendeknya semua kehidupan negara dan berbangsa di kedua negeri ini tetap berjalan meskipun anggota DPR nya berkelahi.
Para penduduk kedua negeri contoh ini seakan-akan tidak menghiraukan perang kata-kata para politisinya, tidak perduli konspirasi partai politiknya, tidak perduli berita para elit mereka. Rakyat kedua negeri ini tetap memiliki semangat tinggi untuk meneruskan cita-cita pendiri bangsanya bahwa negeri mereka harus memiliki martabat di mata dunia, dan negeri mereka tetap harus bisa menafkahi semua golongan penduduknya.
Kita memang boleh bangga dengan progress demokrasi kita – yang sering di puji negera lain sebagai demokrasi yang baik. Tapi perlu diingat bahwa kondisi rakyat Indonesia lain dengan rakyat kedua negara maju itu. Penduduk kita masih banyak yang miskin dan masih banyak anak-anak kecil di daerah-daerah terpencil yang tidak memakai sepatu dan berjalan ber-kilo-kilo meter untuk menuju sekolah mereka. Kita juga harus ingat bahwa masih banyak dosen-dosen dengan mobil bututnya berjuang menyebarkan ilmu kepada mahasiswanya, bekerja siang malam di laboratorium. Kita juga harus ingat masih banyak guru-guru dan dokter-dokter muda yang bekerja dengan gajih kecil di tempat-tempat terpencil yang tidak ada bioskop, tidak ada mall, tidak ada listrik. Kita ingat para petani kita yang bekerja mulai pagi sampai sore untuk memproduksi makanan bagi sebagian besar rakyat kita. Dan kita ingat para penari, pembaca puisi, penabuh gamela yang terus memperjuangkan agar budaya nasional di kenal di manca negara. Belum lagi para prajurit TNI dan polisi yang menjaga keamanan di tempat-tempat terpencil agar NKRI tetap utuh. Dan jangan juga lupa anak Esemka (SMK) di Solo dan di berbagai daerah yang masih bersemangat menciptakan produk kebanggaan bangsa.
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Semua itu sangat rentan dengan penampilan para elit politik dan selebriti di pusat yang seakan-akan tidak ingat akan perjuangan mereka. Kondisi di negeri kita juga lain – penduduk kita yang miskin bisa terpengaruh dengan kekacauan yang dilakukan para elit di pusat, ekonomi akan lumpuh karena jalan-jalan di blockade, isu konflik SARA yang bisa menimbulkan konflik berkepanjangan, dan tentu menimbulkan korban jiwa dan luka.
Para elit politik harus sadar bahwa dinamika demokrasi kita yang seringkali panas menjelang Pemilu tidak boleh menghambat perjuangan para penduduk negeri ini, tidak boleh mematikan kreativitas anak-anak SMU, SMK dan mahasiswa/wi Perguruan Tinggi yang terus mempunyai mimpi bahwa negeri ini menjadi negeri yang damai dan makmur. Pergolakan politik dengan tujuan jangka pendek akan menimbulkan biaya sosial dan ekonomi yang besar bila para elitnya tidak menyadari amanat rakyat yang diembannya.
Belajarlah dari Indonesia
Jumat siang itu saya sedang membaca kolom di sebuah koran dengan judul yang menyinggung tentang pluralisme di Indonesia, ternyata kolom itu merupakan hasil tulisan dari seorang warga Amerika Serikat yang tinggal di Michigan. Sepanjang tulisan itu saya perhatikan sepertinya ia mengagumi Indonesia yang bisa bersatu dengan segala keragaman yang ada. Saya setuju dengan tulisannya yang kurang lebih menyatakan jika Indonesia sudah lebih bisa memahami dan menjalani pluralisme terlebih dahulu, bahkan jauh dari sebelum kemerdekaan.
Saya jadi teringat ketika saat itu Amerika sempat beberapa kali mengatakan indonesia harus lebih demokratis, indonesia harus lebih bisa menghargai hak asasi manusia dan masih banyak lagi. Menurut saya, Indonesia sudah tidak perlu lagi diajari masalah pluralisme dan demokrasi. Indonesia sudah jauh lebih demokratis dari negara yang disebut sebagai pelopor demokrasi, Amerika Serikat. mengapa?
Amerika serikat baru membolehkan wanita untuk mengikuti pemilu pada tahun 1920, setelah sebelumnya wanita tidak boleh mengikuti pemilu. Sedangkan indonesia tidak pernah ada masalah wanita yang terdiskriminasi tidak bisa mengkuti pemilu, bahkan wanita bisa berpartisipasi sejak pemilu pertama di Indonesia. Bahkan warga Afro-Amerika pun baru bisa mendapat kesetaraan setelah beberapa tahun kematian Martin Luther King yang berarti lama setelah Indonesia merdeka.
Selain itu, Indonesia sebagai negara mayoritas muslim terbesar di dunia dapat menerima Megawati Soekarnoputri sebagai presiden wanita pertama di Indonesia, sedangkan Barrack Obama, merupakan presiden kulit hitam pertama bagi Amerika. Indonesia tidak membutuhkan waktu lama untuk bisa menjalankan semua prinsip demokrasi itu. Selain itu Jerman pun memilih belajar dari Indonesia tentang pluralitas dan agama, mengingat masyarakat Jerman yang semakin beragam dengan warga pendatang dari Turki.
Bahkan selain itu, prinsip demokrasi dan pluralis pun sudah terpampang jelas melalui lambang garuda Indonesia. Lambang bintang menggambarkan ketuhanan, bermacam-macam agama tapi tetap satu Indonesia. Lambang pohon beringin sebagai persatuan Indonesia. Lambang banteng sebagai lambang demokrasi, lambang dari sila keempat. Padi dan Kapas sebagai lambang keadilan bagi seluruh rakyat indonesia. Sedangkan rantai melambangkan kemanusiaan yang adil dan beradab. Semua itu terikat dalam satu “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” yang berarti “meskipun berbeda tetap satu jua.”
Jerman Gandeng Indonesia
Jakarta – Kunjungan Presiden Republik Federal Jerman, Christian Wulff ke Indonesia Kamis lalu bukan hanya sekedar kunjungan diplomatik semata, tapi Jerman datang sambil meminta beberapa bantuan terhadap Indonesia. Keadaan ekonomi Indonesia yang bisa dibilang stabil dan berhasil selamat dari krisis ekonomi global dinilai bisa membantu Uni Eropa untuk mencegah lebih luasnya efek dari krisis yang sedang dihadapi Eropa. Indonesia dinilai Wulff menjadi contoh yang baik karena kondisi ekonominya yang terkonsolidasi.
Selain itu Wulff juga menyatakan terkesan dengan pluralisme dan perkembangan Islam moderat di Indoensia. Wulff juga mengusulkan untuk membentuk forum khusus yang beranggotakan tokoh-tokoh masyarakat dua negara untuk saling memberi masukan mengenai Islam, terutama sejak jumalh pemeluk Islam di Jerman yang terus bertambah.
Sebelumnya Wulff juga menyatakan keinginan Jerman untuk berinvestasi dalam bidang energi terbarukan, “Indonesia merupakan paru-paru dunia, kami berminat agar Indonesia bisa menjalakan pengelolaan huta dan ekonomi yang menguntungkan” ujar Wulff. Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono juga menyatakan ingin bekerjasama dalam bidang pendidikan, industri pertahanan, kesehatan, energi tebarukan dan pengelolaan lingkungan.
Wulff juga menyatakan kekagumannya sekali lagi atas kepemimpinan Indonesia di ASEAN secara langsung saat menyampaikan kuliah umum di Auditorium Terapung Perpustakaan UI Depok, Kamis, 1 Desember 2011. Menurutnya Indonesia mampu menjadikan ASEAN sebagai solusi perekonomian bagi negara anggota dan memecahkan konflik Myanmar.
Wulff juga menilai kesuksesan Indonesia saat menggelar KTT ASEAN di Bali Oktober lalu, Indonesia dinilai berhasil mengarahkan negara anggota untuk memahai permasalah dunia dan KTT itu menghasilkan banyak kesepakatan untuk persiapan pasar ASEAN 2015 dan Presiden termuda Jerman itu menyatakan kesiapannya dalam membantu Indonesia di pasar bebas. Ia juga mengaku menyuaki gaya pengambilan keputusan Indonesia yang berdasarkan musyawarah dan mufakat dalam mencapai kesepakatan.
News Source: Tempo, Kompas, Detik
Re-written for Good News From Indonesia by M. Q Rusydan
Yang terlupa..
Oleh: A. Cholis Hamzah*)
Dulu pada tahun 2004 ketika Indonesia merayakan pesta demokrasi Pemilu, beberapa Menteri penting di Republik ini datang bersama-sama di kota-kota dan kabupaten-kabupaten meresmikan atau mencanangkan hari “Pelayanan Publik Nasional” yang dihadiri seluruh Gubernur di Nusantara ini dan sekaligus seluruh Bupati dan Walikota. Upacara peresmian hari “sakti” semacam ini sebenarnya sudah berulang kali di adakan di negara tercinta ini dan publik rasanya sudah hafal hari apa saja yang pernah di resmikan, misalnya hari Disiplin Nasional dan hari Kesetia Kawanan Nasional, Gerakan Kembali ke Desa dan sebagainya. Semuanya itu seakan lenyap ditelan bumi.
Pencanangan hari Pelayanan Publik Nasional ini tentu patut dihargai sebagai sebuah ihtiar bangsa untuk bangkit dari segala keterpurukan khusunya dari citra buruk yang sudah terlanjur melekat di dunia pemerintahan (kadang-kadang juga ada di dunia swasta). Sayangnya ide pencanangan itu sendiri “sounding”nya tidak menggema di hati masyarakat dan sekarang pun sudah dilupakan; serta tidak ada lagi pembicaraan tentang pentingnya pelayanan yang baik itu. Publik jadinya “forget and forgive” akan adanya hari seperti itu. Karena publik (meskipun tidak semua) lebih mengingat cerita sinetron di TV berikut kehidupan pribadi para pemainnya di acara gossip.
Padahal kalau diamati secara jujur maka soal pelayanan publik begitu pentingnya bagi kemajuan bangsa ini. Keterpurukan ekonomi bangsa ini salah satunya diakibatkan oleh rendahnya tingkat pelayanan publik itu dan salah satu alasan kenapa beberapa investor asing maupun dalam negeri yang hengkang ke Vietnam, China atau Malaysia adalah juga buruknya tingkat pelayanan itu.
Publik yang terdiri dari masyarakat biasa maupun kalangan usaha pada umumnya hanya menginginkan adanya dua kepastian dalam pelayanan publik itu. Pertama, kepastian tentang waktu dan kedua, kepastian tentang berapa biaya yang harus keluarkan. Kedua kepastian itu memerlukan adanya transparansi dan akuntabilitas atau pertanggung jawaban. Sayangnya kedua “mahluk” itu sulit dicari di Indonesia ini, dan dapat ditebak akibatnya, yaitu munculnya ekonomi biaya tinggi. Seorang pengusaha atau rakyat biasa yang memerlukan surat ijin harus “terbiasa” mentalnya untuk menerima surat yang diperlukan itu dalam waktu yang cukup lama karena ada penjelasan klasik antara lain: “Bapak yang menanda tangani sedang rapat atau cuti” atau “surat anda masih di meja lain” dan sebagainya. Sebaliknya apabila kita mengeluarkan biaya “extra” untuk mengurus dokumen yang diperlukan, maka “bim salabim!” surat itu itu tiba-tiba sudah jadi!.
Budaya seperti ini berulang kali muncul di depan kita dan ironisnya kita semua tidak sadar akan akibat buruknya. Kita baru sadar kalau kemudian ada berita yang menyebutkan bahwa perusahaan A atau B pindah ke luar negeri yang mempunyai kepastian lebih baik dalam pelayanan publik. Budaya ini tidak hanya ada di lembaga yang mengeluarkan ijin tapi juga terjadi di kantor-kantor pelayanan umum lainnya seperti peruahaan Air Minum, Kereta Api, perusahaan Maskapai Penerbangan, Perbankan dan sebagainya.
Akibat berikutnya dari budaya seperti itu adalah hilangnya “Public Trust” kepada lembaga-lembaga yang berwenang memberikan pelayanan publik itu. Tanpa adanya unsur Transparansi dan Akuntabilitas dalam pelayanan publik maka sulit diharapkan munculnya kepercayaan publik atau Public Trust itu. Kalau itu dibiarkan maka efek domino keburukan dari aktivitas pelayanan itu semakin membahayakan dan akhirnya lebih memperpuruk posisi negara kita. Padahal menurut Phillip Kotler – salah satu guru ilmu Marketing pernah menjelaskan bahwa citra buruk suatu pelayanan itu akan tersebar (atau multiplier effect – nya) sampai 13 orang lewat “getok tular” atau informasi dari mulut ke mulut. Kita tidak tahu kok pak Kotler ini sampai bisa menyebut angka 13, tapi yang jelas dia ingin menjelaskan bahwa citra buruk sebuah pelayanan itu akan mempunyai efek ganda secara meluas. Hal ini sering kita saksikan sendiri ketika kita tidak memilih perusahaan Maskapai Penerbangan karena kita diberi tahu dari teman yang mengalami kejadian buruk pelayanan perusahaan itu, dan selanjutnya kita sendiri menyebarkan berita itu pada teman lainnya dan begitu seterusnya.
Segala upaya anak bangsa negeri ini untuk memperbaiki pelayanan publik itu memang seringkali terdengar. Namun sayangnya semuanya masih bersifat retorika dan “ceremonial” saja. Publik sering mendengar kata “One Stop Service” atau “One Gate Service” atau “Pelayanan Satu Atap” yang kadang-kadang dimasukkan kedalam pembuatan “Visi dan Misi” sebuah kantor. Namun kata-kata sakti itu seperti kalimat janji kampanye politik yang indah didengar namun sulit dilihat kenyataannya. Konsistensi kita untuk me-realisasikan komitmen pada pelayanan publik itu yang kurang. Seharusnya semua komponen bangsa yang berwenang dalam pelayanan publik ini sudah harus bisa menjelaskan apa itu artinya pertumbuhan ekonomi yang rendah yang mengakibatkan menurunnya investasi (dalam maupun luar negeri) dan selanjutnya mengakibatkan pengangguran – kemiskinan dan yang kalau kita telusuri penyebabnya – diantara banyak penyebab adalah karena buruknya tingkat pelayanan publik itu.
Perlu juga disadari bahwa dunia ini mengalami perubahan yang begitu cepat dan mengakibatkan antara lain berubahnya permintaan konsumen, berubahnya strategi ekonomi masing-masing bangsa untuk menarik investasi luar (dan dalam) negeri. Semua itu mengakibatkan begitu ketatnya tingkat persaingan antar negara. Negara-negara tetangga kita juga menyadari akan hal ini dan berlomba untuk merubah dirinya terutama dalam soal pelayanan publik. Lihat bagaimana kompetitivnya Singapura misalnya didalam sector pelabuhan laut dan udara, bagaimana efesiennya negara ini dalam bidang pariwisata, bagaimana cepatnya pelayanan mereka kepada publik, dan bagaimana sikap seorang Walikota di suatu kota di China yang datang sendiri menyambut tamu investor dari luar negeri di lapangan terbang (pernah diceritakan Pak Dahlan Iskan – Menteri BUMN di Surat Kabar). Semuanya itu adalah persaingan dalam bidang pelayanan publik.
Ada baiknya memang setiap pencanangan hari “sakti” seperti Pelayanan Publik Nasional ini tidak sekadar seremonial belaka yang menghabiskan dana tanpa dibarengi dengan komitmen yang tinggi dari semua komponen bangsa ini. Sebab publik hanya ingin melihat komitmen kita akan berbagai upacara yang diselenggarakan. Seringkali setelah upacara pencanangan seperti itu usai, maka “business as usual” atau praktek-praktek lama yang mengakibatkan buruknya citra pelayanan itu sendiri berjalan kembali “seperti biasanya”. Kalau tidak disadari hal ini maka akan berakibat hilangnya “Public Trust” kepada lembaga-lembaga yang berwenang (terutama lembaga Pemerintahan) dan ini akan memerlukan waktu yang lama untuk mengembalikan citra buruk itu, dan negara kita akan tertinggal makin jauh dengan negara lain dan akan sulit mengejarnya. Semua itu berpulang kepada kita.
*) Drs. A. Cholis Hamzah, MSc, Lulusan University of London, Sekretaris I Ikatan Alumni FE-Unair, staf pengajar di Perbanas dan Stiesia Surabaya.
UN official praises Indonesia’s Cultural Diversity
Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Indonesia is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, unique cultures, and traditional arts that have to be maintained and preserved.
In a country of more than 300 ethnic groups, each with their own languages and dialects, Indonesia cannot be compared with any other country for its rich cultural diversity.
As an archipelago comprising more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world`s fourth most populous country.
Arief Rachman, a member of the Administrative Group of the International Bureau of Education (IBE) Council of UNESCO, said in Paris recently that Indonesia is a unique laboratory for the country`s cultural diversity.
He noted that Indonesia is made up of over 500 tribes who speak more than 700 ethnic languages spread over more than 17,000 islands that are made up of five major islands, including Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua.
In view of the fact that the Indonesian nation consists of so many different ethnic groups, local languages and local cultures,
UNESCO director general Irina Borkova praised the country for its capability to preserve its cultural diversity.
“I expressed my appreciation to Indonesia, a country with cultural diversity,” Irina Borkova recently said in Paris.
Therefore, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was invited by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to present his views on the development and preservation of the country`s cultural diversity.
“In UNESCO`s view, Indonesia had succeeded in maintaining the territorial integrity of its unitary republic (NKRI) and its national unity, although its population consisted of hundreds of different tribes with their own cultures and languages,” Arief said.
That is why he said UNESCO has invited President Yudhoyono to speak at a special UNESCO session to mark the 10th anniversary of its declaration on cultural diversity.
Arief said President Yudhoyono would share Indonesia`s experience in maintaining its cultural diversity for the sake of unity at the upcoming UNESCO General Assembly in Paris.
He added that Indonesia was chosen to deliver a key speech because UNESCO considered the country to be an example of cultural diversity that eventually became a source of the nation’s strength.
According to Arief, Indonesia, with its efforts to maintain its cultural diversity, could become an example of a nation that used its cultural diversity as a key, or main vehicle, to assist in the nation`s progress.
Arief said if even the international community respected the cultural diversity of Indonesia, then all parties within the country should also make every effort to preserve and develop it.
“Therefore, the state and nation, including people from all walks of life, should familiarize themselves with Indonesia`s strength and realize that Indonesia is a great country,” Arief said.
Arief noted that the role of government in developing and preserving the country`s multicultural life was also important, since it could also be used in its foreign diplomacy.
Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono, in his speech at the special session of the 36th UNESCO General Conference in Paris on Wednesday, said a new approach must be found to develop understanding of cultural diversity and differences.
The Indonesian head of state also called on all parties around the world to join Indonesia in creating a new approach to the development of multicultural life.
“The previous paradigm of `I and you` should now be changed to `we`,” the Indonesian president said.
President Yudhoyono said, with this new paradigm, differences of opinion could be reduced to promote a positive multicultural life that would eventually promote respect for human rights.
“I cannot deny that the world is not free from prejudices and other negative notions, but we must challenge it with unity and mutual respect,” he said.
Indonesia, he added, had experienced a number of problems relating to ethnic issues that ended in conflict, but through common efforts by all components of the nation, the awareness had grown that diversity was a national asset that could be used to advance life, and so conflicts could be settled.
“The experience later turned into a lesson and has turned Indonesia into one of the world`s largest democracies,” he said.
Further, an approach that accommodated local interests and respected local cultures helped settle problems, such as in Aceh and Poso, he said.
President Yudhoyono added that Indonesia was grateful that it was living in a diverse society and adhered to the principle of unity in diversity.
He hoped its experience in managing its multicultural life, made up of various ethnic groups and hundreds of different local languages, could contribute to the respect for cultural diversity that UNESCO has long advocated.
President Yudhoyono said, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), that Indonesia is supporting efforts to develop the understanding of different cultures among ASEAN member countries with regard to creating a region with cultural diversity and promoting the common welfare.
In his speech, the president also appreciated that UNESCO has helped Indonesia protect and develop its cultures, including its recognition of the country`s heritages, such as wayang (puppet), batik, kris, angklung, and its assistance for the maintenance of the Borobudur and Prambanan temples.
Meanwhile, presidential special staff for international relation Teuku Faizasyah said UNESCO`s invitation from President Yudhoyono to
to present his views was a sign of recognition from the international community of Indonesia`s cultural diversity.
“The participation of President Yudhoyono in the special session of the 36th UNESCO General Assembly is an opportunity for Indonesia
to enhance it active role as a bridge builder and solution maker through inter-cultural cooperation,” Faizasyah said.
According to him, the invitation to President Yudhoyono from UNESCO was a display of the appreciation of the UN body to the Indonesian government`s commitment to preserving and promoting its cultural diversity as living assets. (*)
Slovak President Visits Borobudur Temple
Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic visited the world renowned Borobudur Temple in Magelang District, Central Java, on Wednesday.
The Slovak state leader and his entourage arrived at Borobudur Temple at around 11.45 local time on Wednesday morning and were greeted by Central Java Deputy Governor Rustriningsih.
They then climbed up the stairs of the temple from the west to the summit stupa on the tenth floor.
Gasparovic visited the temple accompanied by a number of businessmen from his country.
PT Borobudur Temple Tourism Park spokesman Purnomo Siswoprasetijo said the Slovak president enjoyed the visit so much and had a very good impression about the temple.
“The Slovak president really admires Indonesian cultural diversity and has heard about Borobudur Temple and therefore he wants to obtain first hand information about the temple,” Purnomo said.
He said Gasparovic also wanted to visit Prambanan temple if he had time to do so.
But Purnomo noted that during the visit to Borobudur, there has yet a discussion that led to a cooperation between Indonesia and Slovak in relation with Borobudur tourism development.
Therefore he expressed hope that the visit to Borobudur Temple by Slovak president would have a positive impact on the development of tourism in Indonesia.
Purnomo said that during President Ivan Gasparovic`s visit, Borobudur Temple was closed to public for security reason.
News source: ANTARA News
