Civilization of Solidarity
Efforts to improve the living conditions of the poor are part of respect for human dignity. Two precepts in our national ideology and the state philosophical foundation, the Pancasila,
In two days, the global community will observe the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Every year, on 17 October, people around the world gather to reaffirm their shared commitment to eradicating global poverty.
“Dignity for all in practice” is the theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2022-2023. The dignity of human beings is not a fundamental right in itself, but also constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights, such as freedom, justice and peace.
According to United Nations (UN) data, currently in the world, with some people living in abundance, 811 million people do not have enough food and 44 million are at risk of starvation (source: WFP), two billion people still live without safe drinking water, 3.6 billion without safely managed sanitation (source: WHO and Unicef) and 1.3 billion people still live in multidimensional poverty (source: UNDP) with almost half of them being children and adolescents.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), in March 2022 the poverty rate was 9.54 percent of the total population or 26.12 million people, down 0.17 percent compared with the number in September 2021, which was 9.71 percent or 26.50 million people. Although it continues to decline every year, the number of poor people as of March 2022 was still higher than before the pandemic. Before the pandemic (September 2019), the poverty rate was recorded at 9.22 percent or 24.68 million people.
The second and fifth precepts of the Pancasila are the main framework for building a civilization of Indonesian human solidarity.
Efforts to improve the living conditions of the poor are part of respect for human dignity. Two precepts in our national ideology and the state philosophical foundation, the Pancasila, are a solid basis to see how high the position of human dignity is; just and civilized humanity and social justice for all Indonesian people. The second and fifth precepts of the Pancasila are the main framework for building a civilization of Indonesian human solidarity.
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Solidarity, according to social philosopher Jurgen Habermas (1993), is a method for advancing social justice. According to Immanuel Kant, dignity is an “inviolable value,” the intrinsic value that people have because of being human.
For centuries the major religions have taught the essential similarity between people as the basis for the ethic of solidarity. There are also values, such as respect for life, the responsibility to protect the natural environment for future generations and the obligation to help protect the weak and marginalized.
The fact that many people continue to live in poverty indicates the need to build a culture of solidarity. Solidarity is a commitment to social justice embodied in actions and policies.
Solidarity with the poor is an action or policy to humanize marginalized communities by focusing on their perspective, what they are experiencing, and how to improve their condition.
It will be even more dangerous if it becomes the lifestyle of the elite. The culture of corruption at various levels is partly rooted here.
On this finite planet, where the density and competition of life are getting higher, the civilization of solidarity is more difficult to develop when materialism and individualism continue to dominate the people's way of thinking. It will be even more dangerous if it becomes the lifestyle of the elite. The culture of corruption at various levels is partly rooted here.
Theater of mercy
In the midst of natural disasters and drastic climate change, which have severely hit the lives of the poor, it is necessary to build solidarity in various sectors. The civilization of solidarity is at the core of the human framework. It is not a goal, but a way and a process to achieve a goal with a dignified principle.
The ways in which a society and government treat the poor and marginalized people demonstrate a level of respect for human dignity and the civilization of solidarity within that society.
The fact that not everyone, whether ordinary people or wealthy people, both society and decision makers, has a concern for justice and the common welfare shows that a sense of solidarity is not born out of nowhere.
Solidarity can be eroded by actions that deny justice. For example, corruption or misappropriation of public funds for personal or group interests or various forms of commodification of poverty for the sake of political economy have caused the alleviation of the people from poverty to become merely as a theater of compassion.
Human solidarity has been torn apart in a post-pandemic world by war and conflict. Meanwhile, people's lives can be polarized by sharpening political differences which can become social divisions. In Indonesia, the threat to solidarity lies before our eyes if our focus and energy are successfully diverted by the tricks of power adventurers or social media agitators, who actually benefit from viral political conflicts that can deny human dignity.
Meanwhile, we also witness that some 21st century generations have provided spaces for solidarity; inclusive, not exclusive solidarity. The expansion of solidarity that transcends borders appears in the form of humanitarian actions to help reduce the difficulties of the other people who struggle to live up to their hope with limited resources to get out of the cycle of poverty in order to live with dignity.
Not infrequently we can find the quality of human empathy far beyond the quality of the social empathy of a leader.
We can still find heroes for the marginalized, both in the real world and in mainstream media outlets or social media content. Not infrequently we can find the quality of human empathy far beyond the quality of the social empathy of a leader.
With such a culture of sharing and serving the weak and vulnerable and those who do not have a space to speak up, we are optimistic that the desire to uphold the second and fifth precepts of the Pancasila is not rhetoric, but the true dedication of the people who work not just for personal gains.
Idi Subandy Ibrahim
IDI SUBANDY IBRAHIM, Culture, Media and Communication Researcher; Postgraduate Lecturer, Pasundan University
This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.
