Against Democratic Reversal

To maintain democracy requires the presence of loud voices emerging from the power of political and civil society.

What is taking place in the political fight surrounding 2024 Presidential Election is not just a Laswellian political fight (who gets what, when and how) on the democratic stage. However, in political battles we will be treated to a spectacle of political actors' expertise in reading mass political psychology in mobilizing constituents to gain support.

The 2024 electoral event is the climactic point of the dominant political elite's systematic initiative to maintain their position in the power rotation, which could lead us to the brink of a reversal of democracy.

Considering the deep reflection on what we have witnessed in the arena of democratic politics this time, we cannot read the ongoing political process solely as a power game (power game< /i>) which is common among political forces in pursuing political positions.

A series of political events that have brought about controversial phenomena at the Constitutional Court (MK), the formation of political dynasties during electoral moments, the politicization of social assistance programs, indications of state apparatus involvement, and the rhetoric of "let the people judge" are moments of democracy being overturned by power in the democratic institutional installation.

Also read: Tracing the Track Record of Constitutional Court Decisions Regarding Presidential Election Disputes

In this context, JB Kleden's opinion entitled, ”Presidential Controversy” (Kompas, 17/4/2024) seems to obscure understanding of political reality. This opinion seeks to position the analysis to view the 2024 electoral political process taking place from the perspective of political realism, namely President Jokowi's ability to swing and surf politics amidst the ability to understand the psychopolitics of the grassroots.

Such an opinion potentially creates a thick fog for us to see the process of democracy deterioration taking place in the vortex of political games between elites.

In the process of undermining democracy as a ghost that threatens democratic politics in Indonesia and also occurs in many places around the world, the fate of democracy is turned upside down 180 degrees, not because of threats from external forces.

This is built through the art of precise hegemonic power to seduce and even deceive the hearts and minds of the people.

Democracy has been turned upside down in such a way because in the process of institutionalizing democratic installations, executive political leaders often become rulers who hold a concentration of power above the supremacy of law and constitution, which cannot be prevented by the normal politics of power-sharing.

What distinguishes the phenomenon of the emergence of a central authority that stands above the law today from the past is that, in its current presence, they not only rely solely on coercive force and repression, but efforts to maintain it are carried out by combining coercive capacity with submission and loyalty of the people's voice. This is built through the art of hegemonic power that is appropriate for persuading and even misleading the hearts and minds of the people.

Regarding such a reversal of democracy, Daniel Trisman (2018) calls this style of power new autocracy, while political professor John Keane (2020) emphasizes it as new despotism.

The voice of the people

Antonio Gramsci (1971), a progressive activist intellectual from Italy, in his Prison Notebooks describes the workings of modern anti-democratic power. He described it in the metaphor of the Greek mythological creature, the Centaur, which was half human and half beast.

Thus is the power working, often maintaining its interests by juxtaposing the actions of wild creatures (coercive acts) and human persuasion (hegemonic strategies) so that the public not only submits, but also falls prey to the labyrinth of deceitful culture in supporting the ruler's steps, even if it risks hitting their own aspirations in the future.

Meanwhile we witness Centaur maneuvers in the style of Gramscian criticism (domination and hegemony) working in a political constellation in the procession around the 2024 electoral moment to hit democracy. The trial processes that took place in the lawsuit hearing at the Constitutional Court showed the emergence of strong allegations of power intervention leading to election violations (Kompas, 27/3/2024) .

These practices of violation and intervention lead to forms of coercive action of power. Meanwhile, one form of hegemonic action carried out to make what was taking place in line with democratic principles emerged with a viral statement from the President regarding letting the people judge (Kompas, 12/1/2024).

Also read: Election Crimes and General Election Results Disputes

Regarding the connection between the people's voice and democracy, a clear examination is needed to explore the philosophy of republicanism. It is a perspective that sees in order for the people to have a voice to display their sovereignty, power must be limited to prevent tyranny and the precondition of independence from domination.

This is where the philosopher Philip Pettit (2012) in On the People's Terms: A Republican Theory and Model of Democracyemphasizes that in the corridors of the people, the people's voice as an embodiment of democracy is not enough to quantitatively calculate the people's votes. Wisdom from the people can only shine into the world of politics, when the people's voice is not dictated by the power of material domination or the pressure of political domination.

This is where the indication of politicization of social aid that is carried out in conjunction with the moment of the 2024 presidential election or intervention by state officials to the lower levels has played a role in the overthrow instead of upholding democracy.

The voice of republicanism

Just like the classic voice of Jean Jacques Rousseau, democracy should not be exploited by just a handful of those who have power and wealth, amidst the poverty that is so real in society. So that the wealthy can buy the people's votes, and the extremely poor people can do nothing but sell their voices.

Driven by concerns over the current reversal of democracy, efforts to maintain democracy require the presence of loud voices emerging from the political force and civil society in Indonesia. The voices that uphold republican ethics to continue to cultivate Indonesia's democratic soil.

This is where the testimony of clergy figures, such as Father Franz Magnis-Suseno, at the Constitutional Court hearings about the importance of leaders prioritizing public interests and harboring private or family interests. Also Megawati Soekarnoputri as amicus curiae (friend of the court) at the Constitutional Court hearing about the importance of leaders being qana'ah (sufficient with what is available) and not going beyond the limits. With this, the utrenja (dawn) of Indonesian politics is guided by integrity, honesty and common sense in an anti-domination political atmosphere to foster people's sovereignty.

Airlangga Pribadi Kusman, Lecturer at the Department of Politics, FISIP, Airlangga University

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