Before political desires dominated the lives of people in the archipelago, intercultural interactions were smooth and fruitful. Through trade routes, cultural encounters occurred peacefully.
By
IDI SUBANDY IBRAHIM
·6 minutes read
Kompas/AGUS SUSANTO
A mobile fruit seller passes in front of a diversity mural under the Rawa Panjang flyover, Bekasi City, West Java, Friday (7/8/2020). Diversity, tolerance and respect for differences continue to be voiced to foster togetherness in building the nation.
Before political desires dominated the lives of people in the archipelago, intercultural interactions were smooth and fruitful. Through trade routes, cultural encounters occurred peacefully. Major conflicts had never taken place before conquest and colonialism was attempted and before there were fights for the control of resources and for territorial expansion.
Perhaps this is why we should look at the other side: the cultural seeds of what we now call “ unity in diversity”. Natural unity grows from below and from the fruit of participation. It is not imposed from above or the result of engineering and mobilization.
The slightest cultural encounter helps build engagement and foster a sense of community. Intense intercultural communication erodes prejudice and fosters mutual understanding and empathy as prerequisites for the seeds of the civic community.
Perhaps such a view is now considered utopian. Politics is increasingly needed as society modernizes and gets more complex. If the essence of politics is the art of democracy in a modern nation-state, democracy is a system that is considered capable of dealing with conflicts and differences of interest productively and creatively.
These factors can be structural or cultural, depending on the condition of society, the role of actors and the political system.
Thinkers have proposed various theories of democracy and have emphasized the factors related to the preconditions for and constraints on the democratization process. These factors can be structural or cultural, depending on the condition of society, the role of actors and the political system.
There are thinkers who propose the importance of inclusive democracy. Iris Marion Young (2000: 51) in his book “Inclusion and Democracy” proposes the idea of inclusion in democracy. According to him, democracy often violates the norm of inclusion. Political exclusion and marginalization often occur so that the principles and ideals of political inclusion become a critical reaction to this political exclusion or marginalization.
The principle of inclusion has also been recognized globally. It is on the agenda of the United Nations (UN). In 2015, 193 UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Each member country is committed to focusing on human rights, society, equality, inclusion and environmental sustainability. The 16 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the 2030 agenda have combined democratic governance and peace-building targets into one goal. They recognize the inseparable relationship between "peaceful societies" and "effective, accountable and inclusive institutions".
Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta
Members of regional representatives take a group photo just before the opening of the Women\'s Leadership Festival and SDG\'s and the National Congress V at the Sukolilo Hajj Dormitory, Surabaya, East Java, Thursday (20/2/2020).
The idea of an inclusive democracy is urgently needed when conflict, violence, injustice, racism, cultural intolerance, marginalization, economic and ecological exploitation and corruption still characterize the life of the nation.
The political processes that claim to be democratic are often dominated only by a handful of interested parties. The principle of inclusion is denied in democracy in various ways. For example, marginalization occurs when people who will be directly affected by a law are not involved and heard. Marginalized groups, minorities and people with disabilities are not taken into account in public policy making.
According to Young, if inclusion in decision-making is at the core of the democratic ideal, as long as political exclusion still persists, the promises of a democratic society will be difficult to fulfill. With this, we can understand that the political controversy during the deliberation of the Job Creation Law, which initially only focused on the economic field, penetrated into the political field. The principle of inclusion is ignored because the government doesn\'t want to listen!
The neglect of the principle of inclusion in democracy is also seen in a way that was initially intended to fight against exclusion. The political actors behind the demonstrations against the Job Creation Law partly used religious sentiment with the aim of attracting mass support and putting pressure on the government. Some people are concerned that if such a method is not controlled, it could bring the masses to a dangerous precipice – that of mass violence, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the politicization of religion can make it a major source of difference and conflict.
We realize that in its history, religion has often acted as a unifying force. Religion, with the principle of divinity and respect for humans, can be an adhesive force. However, the politicization of religion can make it a major source of difference and conflict.
A very heterogeneous society like Indonesia needs inclusive institutions to deal with conflicting interests. But which institutions have the authority to empower citizens and ensure that inclusion and equality in society can be guaranteed? Of course, in the context of Indonesia, government institutions, political parties and religious and civil society organizations can take effective steps to address the structural inequalities that are holding us back from achieving a just and civilized society.
But no less important is the role of the cultural community – artists, writers, journalists, religious leaders, and independent intellectuals – to help ground an inclusive democracy. They are cultural agents growing from below, communicating with symbols. While the political path is often short-term, the cultural path is a more enduring force of history.
Culture often seeps more into the collective consciousness of society. Cultural influences transcend space and time. If politics is based on ties of interest, culture is based on bonds of sincerity.
Kompas
Artis Sujiwo Tedjo presents a poetry musical at the Bung Karno event in Arts and Culture at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), Jakarta, Saturday (4/6/2016).
Unfortunately, since the beginning of independence until now, our movements for political change have not always been guided by the nation\'s cultural awareness. It seems that both the elite and the masses need to be made aware that inclusive democracy based on Pancasila is the most humane and just pathway.
This way allows differences to be given space and heard, and when political conflicts occur, it always opens up the possibility of compromise and dialogue with an empathetic attitude towards differences.
Cultural awareness movements need to be developed from an early age so that political behavior will be more cultured and so that cultural factors that are obstacles to the democratization process can be eliminated. However, such a culture cannot be engineered. It must appear naturally.
When political practice still has a gloomy face, the cultural path becomes a light to build hope in caring for diversity.
KOMPAS/MOHAMMAD HILMI FAIQ
Idi Subandy Ibrahim
IDI SUBANDY IBRAHIM,Culture, Media and Communication Researcher
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