When more and more people are asking why the democratic process in Indonesia does not bear the political elites are able to bring social welfare and public justice, the idea of a strong government to the fore as a central issue offered by the politicians ahead of elections in 2009, some time ago.
The birth of the idea is reinforced by several political events, such as vigorous assault on mass media advertising of Prabowo Subianto and Gerindra Party, the rhetoric of political elites and the last phenomenon is recorded in the main news Kompas (13 / 3) about a meeting between Mega and one of JK draft of the agreement is the importance of a strong government for the future of Indonesia.
The capacity of government to carry out his duties in programs that concrete, measurable, and have an impact on the quality of life is indeed a pre-major requirements toward the prosperity of the nation. However, the idea of a strong government is not without problems. Something to be criticized about this idea is the reference of the intellectuals and politicians on strong government more often directed at nations who could boost the economic development of democratic political minus, like Malaysia, Singapore, and China.
The idea of a strong government which rests the authoritarian model we will be able to forget the important results already achieved democracy that has brought an invaluable opportunity, when people have good opportunities through suffrage and political participation to determine whether poor governance. On the other hand, when we are dazzled by the results of the development of strong leadership iron hand, we often forget that the citizens in these countries had to change the economic achievements of material success that rose with the restriction of political freedom and civil rights. Did not without political freedom to express and participate in the political arena, people just become passive spectators of the will of political elites?
State capacity
At the time when many countries on the path of democracy are often tempted by the strong capacity of the state of some authoritarian countries, Charles Tilly (2007) in his work, Democracy, open discourse about the capacity of a strong government in the context of a democracy. According to Tilly, the frame of democracy, the strength of a country's capacity is determined by the level of inclusiveness of voices responding to the public and the ability of countries to expand and secure the basic rights of citizenship and negaraan allocate productive resources for the fulfillment of public justice. In the path of democracy, strong governance to walk the equivalent of powerful dynamics of public democratic life will determine the presence of a strong democratic state and inclusive.
In contrast to the authoritarian order that requires the silence of citizen participation, a strong government in a democratic political order requires a few conditions, namely, first, the presence of the cultural character of politeness (civility) and the strong level of confidence (trust), both in the political processes that take place between citizens and the political elite and among the political elite itself. Second, the country's ability to absorb, manage, and prioritize public policies that can provide meaningful change for the common good. Third, constructive initiatives of the power of a healthy civil society to influence the dynamics of elite political process and strengthening the capacity of the state when producing public policy.
The problem, in the midst of strengthening democracy installation is in progress in the last five years, three main requirements for building a strong government in the path of democracy is still not running in Indonesia. The loss of the state's ability to secure and protect the civil rights of our brothers compatriots from Ahmadiyya community shows that the institutionalization of procedural democracy is not followed by the presence of an inclusive state that guarantees freedom, security and basic rights for its citizens.
Government's ability to create a responsive public policy can not be found in Indonesianness political reality today, when the relationship between government policy and social facts form a contrasting relationship. News of the rise of national education budget to go along with the cost of education for the people who soar, the pride of self-sufficiency in rice will result in the year 2008 appear terpuruknya parallel with the welfare of farmers, while vigorous program of poverty alleviation of people walking contradiction with the amount of 49 percent of the poor who live on less than 2 U.S. dollars per day according to the size of the World Bank.
When government policy does not provide a significant influence on the common weal and the political arena went increasingly alienated from the pulse of public aspirations, then become a citizen lost his enthusiasm to participate in the political arena. Weakened state capacity in line with the loss of a political desire to bring the initiative for the growth of civic political berkeadaban.
Citizen initiative
In the case of Indonesia, a critical review of the importance of strong governance takes first step back off from the growing desire and constructive political initiative from the citizens. Round of legislative election campaign is one of the momentum for citizens to break the ice build a strong state capacity. Now is the time for strategic actors of civil society to ensure how to build a mechanism for strict public selection to generate the political elites are clean.
Another important thing is to formulate a political action what can effectively be done by citizens to guard politicians by their promises so that when they are elected, citizens can minimize the possibility of betrayal by the elite a mandate to the public. With modest steps and concrete as a strong government that is inclusive will grow in Indonesia to listen to public voices, to work for the glorification of human dignity, and improved quality of life of its citizens.
File Under: Situs Warta Era Digital
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