Civil Politics

The political struggle has heightened with various intrigues and lobbying to gain support for a high public position like that of vice president, because the strongest presidential candidate seems to remain the incumbent, Joko Widodo.

Kompas/Idha Saraswati Wahyu Sejati

Azyumardi Azra

Will the 2018 and 2019 political years be years of living dangerously? The escalating political temperature of recent years seems dangerous. The political struggle has heightened with various intrigues and lobbying to gain support for a high public position like that of vice president, because the strongest presidential candidate seems to remain the incumbent, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Many party leaders and political elites, civil society and religious figures, and activists of non-governmental organizations, as well as electronic media and social media, play a role and are responsible for the rise in political temperature. Observing the escalating political situation, many people are feeling anxious and worried about the future of the Indonesian nation-state.

The anxiety has much to do with the emergence of statements from the political elite that have been speculative, pessimistic, provocative and divisive. One such statement, for example, claimed that Indonesia\'s "existence will disappear" by 2030, or another pitched the "party of God" versus the "party of demons".

These statements, made openly at public gatherings and religious forums, immediately sparked controversy over pros and cons in the wider community. Debates have taken place not only on the substance of the statements, but also on the use of religious forums for making such statements to provoke people – both those who were present and others who followed the events through print and electronic media.

The houses of worship should remain pure and untainted. Sermons and preaching should, according to the Qur\'an (Surah An-Nahl: 125), be delivered with wisdom, good teaching and civil debate.

Despite deviating from this principle, many citizens still easily consider that statements conveyed through religious forums to be truth. The result is the rampant spread of hoaxes, pitting one against the other, and provocation on social media. At the same time, counter-discourses are being circulated to neutralize the hoaxes and provocation, regardless of whether they are effective or not.

At this level, there has been a marked fall in the civility of politics among both political elites and the citizenry. The elites’ statements, which are not based on fact, and the lack of common sense in considering hoaxes disseminated on social media seem to indicate that the civility of politics and the politics of civility are no longer a concern.

What is political civility? The Institute for Civility in Government defines civility as "a claim and concern for self-identity, necessity, and trust without putting down others in the process".

A more complete nuance of civility is given by the Great Indonesian Dictionary, which defines "civility" as "the height of spiritual intelligence and good character (including language)". Civility comes from the Arabic word adab, which means "subtlety and good character and morals, courtesy and politeness, manners, and virtue".

Therefore, political civility is politics that struggles for the public interest by paying attention to character, morality, courtesy, politeness and virtue. Conversely, politics that does not hold up or respect values in praxis can be called political incivility.

In this regard, political civility is politics that holds to and implements civility or noble values. Indonesia is rich in noble and dignified values that are alive in its customs, traditions, laws and religions.

No less important is the fact that political civility is strongly associated with the second principle of Pancasila: Just and Civilized Humanity. If a man is loyal to Pancasila in Indonesian politics, he should pursue political activities based on respect for human dignity and prestige in the application of just and civilized politics.

Therefore, politics that is full of insults and abuse is politics that respects neither human dignity nor prestige. Politics that is without civility is harmful to the glory of humanity.

The problem is why the political elite do not practice political civility. On the contrary, is the political incivility that has been developing one that dons the name of religion? This phenomenon is clearly a contradiction in terms, when it involves religion that teaches the height of morals and public good.

Peter Mandaville, professor of Islamic politics at Georgetown University in Washington DC, concluded in Religion and Political Civility (2012) that while religions taught civilized people and emphasized the importance of civic culture and civility as the basis of public morality and virtue, the same religion was almost always used and abused by the political elite in the interest of unholy politics.

Developing political civility is a challenge that requires a response from the political elite, the religious elite and other elites of society. Several recommendations can be make toward how the politics of civility and the civility of politics can be strengthened.

First, is to be fair and civil against one’s political opponents; do not take an uncompromising, zero-sum-game approach to eliminating one’s political opponents. Second, recognize the values that are held together for the sake of the public good without sacrificing their political positions.

Furthermore, avoid labels and generalizations that do not conform to the facts and realities of one’s political opponents. Finally, thoroughly consider the consequences of one’s statements, based on the principles of personal responsibility and public accountability.

Azyumardi Azra, Professor at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta; member of the AIPI Culture Commission