Indonesia’s flourishing civil society activists and
advocacy organizations stand in contrast to a darker culture of mob
violence, militarism and extremist groups.
Despite the recent rise in reported conflicts carried out by mobs of
local vigilantes, soldiers and hard-line Islamic groups, Indonesia also
has a growing civil society that is vocal, active and mobilized for
positive social and political change.
Because of civil society efforts, the House of Representatives has halted
its deliberations on revising the controversial mass organizations
(ormas) bill.
The House was supposed to deliberate and pass the proposed amendments,
which would give government officials discretionary powers to suspend and
dissolve civil society organizations (CSOs), restrict local and
international CSOs with regard to the Pancasila ideology, force
international organizations to secure permits and limit the activities of
CSOs to those within the purview of “the
duty of law enforcers and government”.
The reason the plenary meetings did not go ahead was because it was too
risky for lawmakers to alienate voters before the 2014 legislative
election, particularly when civil society groups can take strong
political positions and have the power to mobilize members to pointed
effect.
But isn’t this why the bill was drafted in the first place? To tighten
the reins on dissent?
It is to its credit that Indonesian civil society has managed to stall
the ormas bill so far, and only due to the ability of opposition groups
to foster enough bridging capital to overcome differences and reject what
they see as excessive controls on civil and political freedoms.
Even though they hold different viewpoints, Muslim groups and rights
groups recognized what sort of repercussions the bill would have on their
organizational activities and for civil society as a whole.
The World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS) published an open
letter to the House, criticizing the proposed amendments that would
further limit CSOs above and beyond already-restrictive legislation.
CIVICUS, in alliance with the International NGO Forum on Indonesian
Development, and the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said
the already vague and overbroad provisions should not seek to further
expand state interference in CSOs, which are crucial for a robust
democratic society, and that mass organizations should comply with
international standards and constitutional protections on the freedom of
association.
They said the bill severely undermined freedom of association enshrined
in the Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR) to which Indonesia is signatory. CIVICUS suggested the
House formulate alternative legislation to create an enabling environment
for civil society free from unwarranted restrictions.
While many Indonesians feel powerless to act against injustice, compelled
to violence or apathy, the efflorescence of grass-roots civil society
organizations speaks of a significant transformation in the way people
across the country demand change and undertake rights claims.
Indeed, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Jakarta is awash on most
days with demonstrators and protesters advocating a host of causes, from
feminist warriors to aggrieved farmers, whose relentless presence
represents a movement toward recognition of democratic consolidation,
people power and democratic rationality. The rise of civil society groups
echoes the cultural tendencies of Indonesians to band together over
common problems, but this innate community spirit has now evolved into a
politicized form of social capital that is contributing to the practical
realization of democratic norms.
That is, democratic norms are realized in processes that allow legitimate
actors to advocate for and demand social change instead of resorting to
violent and unjust means.
However, as the attempt to introduce even more restrictive legislation
proves, a flourishing civil society challenges the authority of
lawmakers, the military and anyone else who employ extractive measures to
exploit and perpetuate the status quo.
Yappika, an Indonesian civil society alliance for democracy that was
founded in 1991 to strengthen civil society organizations, created a
so-called civil society index. In a report issued in 2006, Yappika said
that despite significant environmental and structural obstacles, such as
legal barriers, poor law enforcement and a lack of financial resources,
Indonesian CSOs scored high for values and participation.
Indonesia has a civil group for just about anything one can think of: the
Pedestrian Coalition advocates for safer streets; the New Alliance for
Men has men who are unafraid of wearing miniskirts in public to oppose
violence against women; Indonesia for the Environment; the Indonesia
Prosperity Foundation; the Foundation for Women in Small Businesses, and
many more.
Last week, members of the Yogya Pedicab Driver Community took to
Yogyakarta’s streets to campaign against thuggish behavior after 11
Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) commandos were named suspects in the
murder of four detainees inside Cebongan prison. In Jakarta last
Wednesday, the streets were blocked by members of workers’ unions
protesting low wages and a lack of health care.
Legitimate civil society organizations do not engage in violence; none of
these groups will seal a church, attack a family, or raid a prison to get
what they want, but they will march through the streets with banners,
lobby the government, talk to journalists and write press releases for
their web pages.
The question is, will the government listen and support them, or will it
continue to overlook and even protect the vigilantes, hard-liners,
village mobs and military personnel?
The shift toward civil society groups and the vocal, diverse range of
their advocacy, despite the challenging operating environment, is a
definite positive for Indonesia’s democracy and development and
challenges an insidious culture of violence, abuse of power and
vigilantism, by encouraging participation and resistance against
illegitimate means of dominance. ●
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