Intelligentsia Leadership

NUT

Yudi Latif

There are always two sides to any social crises: threats and opportunities. German idealist philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said that catastrophe indicated progress. In his view, the key to resolving the imbalance between “the realm of reality” and “the realm of expectation” lies in the spirit –the mind and the soul and – that will emerge in every era after times of chaos and discord. History has always been a slaughterhouse, but not without its purposes. Chaos gives room for philosophers to emerge as a kind of liberating prophet to show the hidden patterns that resolve problems and guide the people to a better life. If spirit is the only virtue, then all means by which history chooses to realize it are good.In today’s context of Indonesia’s multidimensional crisis, it is difficult for “liberators” and emancipators of national progress to emerge from among the political elite. Generally, our political elite are not good models who are able to guide young patriots towards the path of light. On the contrary, they darken the nation’s future by pitting people against one another, manipulating and discombobulating state order for personal ambitions. They are a bunch of “old people” who have no idea of when to stop, whose concerns are limited to securing their families’ political career; they are traders who employ politics to expand their wealth; they are demagogues who manipulate the sense of identity; they are young politicians who take cheap shortcuts by image-building.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

People of different faiths chat in front of a Garuda Pancasila statue at the Jakarta Cathedral, where they gathered for a breaking-of-the-fast event under the theme "Strengthening Tolerance, Brotherhood and Solidarity of Humanity" on Friday (1/6/2018). The gathering on Pancasila Day reflects the strength of interfaith harmony in Indonesia, which is important to strengthen the unity and cohesion of the nation.

Indonesia has become a quasi-democratic country with political elite of such character. Procedurally, it resembles a democracy, but in terms of substance, it contradicts the ideals of democracy. Representative bodies and political office are no longer the tools of democracy, and have instead become institutions of the plutocratic oligarchy. In their clutches, democratic practices are unable to fulfill the mission of social transformation to realize the vision of a free, united, sovereign, just and prosperous nation.

This explains why the United States is among those countries with the widest social gap, with increasingly fragile social fragmentation that undermines its own democracy

I remember the turning point in American democracy, as Jared Diamond wrote in Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis (2019). Following 230 years of relatively solid history, American democracy is currently in a state of acute crisis. Idealists have begun to avoid or be thrown out of Congress elections. Skyrocketing campaign costs is the main cause. Prolonged campaigns for short terms have caused candidates to think more about raising funds. In the old days, if funding was procured from groups of small and medium businesspeople, the high costs of political campaigns today have made candidates increasingly reliant on large financiers, many of whom have huge interests. They prefer candidates with extreme views who are bold enough to defend their interests. As Congress increasingly becomes the apparatus of their financial bigwigs, policies are made that increasingly support the interests of the few. This explains why the United States is among those countries with the widest social gap, with increasingly fragile social fragmentation that undermines its own democracy.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

People cooperate to rebuild a traditional house in Bondokodi village, Analewe village, Kodi Bangedo, Sumba Barat Daya, East Nusa Tenggara, on Sunday (14/7/2019).

In Indonesia, things may be worse. Here, financiers not only manipulate policies but also directly sponsor political parties. This is bad, because political parties are nearly unopposed agents as the “gatekeepers” of public office and public policy.

Under this condition, prophetic “liberators” and emancipators can only emerge from among the “noble intelligentsia”. This is the political class of Indonesia that led the struggle for independence and pioneered national development. They were a mix of civil and military intelligentsia that became powerful not because of financial inheritances, but because of their wealth of knowledge and moral values that brought them dignity and responsibility.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Supporters of presidential and vice presidential candidate pair number 01 Joko Widodo-Ma\'ruf Amin fill Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on the last day of campaigning on Saturday (13/4/2019).

It is the duty of the “noble intelligentsia” to restructure the systems of democracy and governance by restoring them to the spirit of social transformation based on Pancasila. The Pancasila value system requires a balance between individuality and socialism (collectivity), and believes that excessive weight in either will lead to danger. However, as we live in the clutches of a capitalistic society full of inequalities, priority must be given to strengthening the socialist dimension without despising the rich.

Indonesian socialism can be achieved through strategic alliances in the legislature to influence state policies. Therefore, representative bodies should not only represent individual rights – which financiers could use as an entry point for domination – but also include representatives of marginalized groups and regions that truly represent the diversity of local strengths. In striving for social justice through social transformation, these three elements must synergize to establish fundamental policies on allocating resources through state guidelines.

KOMPAS/YUNIADHI AGUNG

An election official puts up a candidate list at polling station 039 in Petamburan subdistrict, Tanah Abang district, Central Jakarta, Wednesday (17/4/2019)

This is the spirit of the age that will turn crises into calls for the intelligentsia to assume intellectual and moral leadership for the nation’s salvation.

YUDI LATIF, Director of Pancasila School