The Thinker: Our Neglected Child

Jakarta Globe, Johannes Nugroho, July 01, 2010

Indonesians call their land of birth Ibu Pertiwi, or Motherland. If our democracy were a person, we might thus see her as a 12-year-old adolescent, but one whose legal guardian, the state, has so far proved a sorry caretaker. Instead of living well with the promise of a great future ahead of her, our 12-year-old is frightened, on the run for her life from the forces that seek her destruction. The most urgent question is where she can find refuge.

Can she turn to the National Police, the same agency whose top generals, as Tempo magazine reported in its latest issue, have allegedly accrued millions of dollars in their bank accounts?

Adding intrigue to the drama was the fact that 30,000 copies of the magazine were instantly snatched up in mysterious fashion as they hit the newsstands, as if to prevent the public from reading them.

As law enforcers, police officers are hardly impartial. As lawmaker Ribka Tjiptaning Proletariati recently revealed, they sided with members of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) during a raid on a meeting that was discussing health care in Banyuwangi, East Java.

Instead of upholding the law, the police are helping thugs intimidate citizens.

Even top whistle-blower Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who recently attempted to expose corruption within the force, seems to be in possession of wealth impossible to accumulate from his police salary alone.

But then Susno’s betrayal of his colleagues only came about after the top brass tried to throw him to the wolves.

Thus his plain-speaking might better be seen as revenge rather than a noble service.

Since the rule of law represents nourishment for our democracy, it is becoming increasingly clear that corruption is behind antidemocratic forces. If so, our thoroughly corrupt police force is no safe haven.

Regrettably, neither is the judicial system.

It is surprising that Indonesian judges and lawyers can hold their heads up in a courtroom considering the number of “transactions” and “fixes” that take place.

Despite promises by the attorney general to combat the judicial mafia, the number of recently exposed cases involving his subordinates only confirms the long-held suspicion that our court system is rotten to the core.

So what of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)?

After a brief period of breakthroughs, the “superbody” has tragically become a nobody.

Last year’s concerted political and legal attacks on the KPK have succeeded in putting fear into the hearts of its leaders.

Can Indonesian democracy then turn to our legislature for protection? The answer is ambivalent at best. While embodying the principle of democracy as the representative of the people, our legislature is thoroughly vested with interests to maintain power.

The latest stunt was the proposal by the Golkar Party for an allocation of Rp 15 billion ($1.6 million) for each member of the House of Representatives to spend in his or her constituency.

Unsatisfied with merely being the legislative branch of government, the move’s proponents signal a wish to try grabbing an executive function while garnering popularity.

When the executive appeared to be allergic to the proposal, Golkar played the devil’s advocate by pushing for a direct grant to each village in the country.

The other factions within the House rejected the proposal, but when they realized its popular appeal, they tried hard to convince the public that they had proposed similar schemes in the past.

To add insult to injury, the most noteworthy legislation that the lawmakers have passed this year is the Rp 1.8 trillion they allocated to construct for themselves a new building to replace the existing one, deemed to be too small and structurally unsound, among other things.

At the top of the tree, the president and his cabinet seem to be intent on maintaining a facade that everything is smooth sailing in the republic.

Never mind the stultifying rampage of corruption and collusion within the state itself, quite undiminished since the days of Suharto.

Never mind the trampled rights of powerless minority groups as long as the vocal and the violent are appeased.

The whole attitude of the government appears to be that everything will be resolved in the fullness of time without realizing that not much is being done toward such a lofty goal.

Out of such a bleak and seemingly hopeless picture emerges a glimmer of light in the form of the media and the Internet.

In short, the defense of our 12-year -old is left in the hands of the freedom of press.

As long as this freedom remains, our hope is rekindled.

As Tempo’s latest issue clearly illustrates, the press is the only force with enough courage, conscience and interest to see democracy flourish.

Johannes Nugroho is a writer based in Surabaya.