Indonesia is a democratic country. The provision
about democracy is contained in the 1945 Constitution article 1 subsection 2
"Sovereignty is in the hands of the people and implemented according to
the Constitution". A democratic country must ensure the sovereignty of the
people. One of the recognition of sovereignty is direct elections. In direct
election people can elect leaders according to their wishes directly. As one of
the democratic countries, Indonesia has some experienced in political system.
Substitution of state leaders is one of change factor in the Indonesia
political system. It give impact to the Indonesian people have not prosperous.
it seems there are people who must take pains to get a rice. What’s democracy
bring Indonesia to the prosperity?
History of Democracy in Indonesia
The implementation of
democracy in Indonesia is colored also by certain changes and adjustments.
Beginning in the revolution (1945-1950), the physical revolution is still
often, the implementation of democracy is considered not well. During the old
order, Indonesia implemented a liberal democratic system which the president
was only a symbol of the state and did not function as head of government
(executive). At the same time, there was a change of liberal democratic system
into guided democracy. The difference in the role of the president who is more
dominant than ever. In 1966, Indonesia entered the new era, the new order known
as Pancasila democracy. Unfortunately, the journey of democracy in the new
order is considered to be failing because there are practices are contrary to
the principle of democracy. Therefore, the period of reform replaces the new
order and the government to rebuild democratic life in Indonesia. Democratic
practices during the reform period were marked by democratic elections greeted
enthusiastically by Indonesians.[1]
The implementation of
democracy in Indonesia is still running today. Post reform, Indonesia had
several times experienced a presidential change but the political system in
Indonesia has never change. It may not thought to replace democracy with other
systems. The Indonesian government believes that democracy is the most suitable
political system to be applied in Indonesia.
Election in Indonesia
The
primary concern of Indonesia’s elections and governance is remains corruption.
It is colors elections from top to bottom: from the candidates buying votes for
a little, the bribery of the chief justice of the Constitutional Court to
institution trusted the rulings for local executive elections. Corrupt
candidates make for corrupt officials, and they continue to influence a
significant minority of voters through financial incentives. Voters may take
money from candidates, but they don’t like wholesale corruption. The legitimacy
of Indonesia’s elected officials and the quality of Indonesia’s democracy
depends on improving transparency and accountability of government.[2]
Prosperity in Indonesia
In Legatum Prosperity
Index 2013, Indonesia ranks 69th out of 142 countries. Actually, this position
is not too proud for Indonesia. For the umpteenth time, Indonesia was left
behind by Singapore (18), Malaysia (44), Thailand (52), Vietnam (62) and
Philippines (66). When compared to the year 2012, Indonesia was declining
because previously ranked at 63. But if you look at previous years, the 69th
position is not bad because in the year 2009-2011, Indonesia has been ranked
85th, 70th and 70th.[3]
The Influence Democracy on
Prosperity in Indonesia
The culture of democracy
in Indonesia has been for many years. Theoretically, democracy is a very open
political system and bring the country to the prosperity. Such as freedom and
respect for human rights, should be make Indonesia a prosperous country, as
well as other democracies the United States. But the theory of democracy does
not work so well in Indonesia. In fact Indonesia has not achieved prosperity.
Several international welfare measurement systems have stated that Indonesia is
still far from welfare standards. The Indonesia’s people is not prosperous and
many homework to be done to achieve prosperity.
Election is the most
important instrument in democracy system, the people as individuals use their
rights to determine actors to be leader the country. The Indonesia’s people in
four times election post-reform have been experiencing practice of democracy, they
votes their heads of government from heads of regions, President, as well as
parliament members on the national (DPR) and regional (DPRD) and the Regional
Representative Council (DPD). But in election processes, it is not every aspect
has given the lesson of the substantive, which is the fair process and the
State officials who are clean and responsible for the betterment of governance.
But in reality, the happens has been process of destroying the values of
sincerity, honesty and goodness which have been the cultural inheritance of the
people, the actors include some politicians, State officials, and the Election
Committees themselves. In such context, deviant actions by the election
organizers, physical violence that happen through political whispers, verbal
violence by some politicians in negative campaign and slanders (smear), money
politics practices and so on, it become a potential bad picture of democratic
practice.[4]
In the Post-reform,
democracy practices in Indonesia is perception that the people are still poor, in
the reality democracy practices still has not been upon. Democracy is weak and difficult sriously to
many poor and middle people income countries. It is seems valid and not
only their perception instant pragmatism, but also a fatal effect of bad
governance.[5]
Now, the weaknesses in
the previous system are repeated again. The people feel they have no chance to
participate in democracy. In fact, corruption is rampant, a perpetrate by those
who claim to represent the people. So far, there are not survey institutions
have tried to examine of public involvement in this democratic system as what
creates their sense of dissatisfaction and unrest of the people. The people
want the system perfectly, the system of law enforcement and the
representatives of the people to run as expected.
The Indonesia goverment
must focus to the prosperity of people. In other side, prosperity is the last
purpose of Indonesia. The finances to get the prosperity must bigger than
democracy pratices, because democracy is about the people participation vote
the leader country but the prosperity is about advisability of human life.
A New Electoral Mechanism
What
the election produce the prosperity of people? Elections as democratic
implementations should bring a better prosperity. New measures to bring an
ideal and prosperous election are as follows:
1.
Multiparty limited system (6)
Indonesia
have multiparty system. There are fourteen political party in Indonesia. It is
so much and not eficience in electoral sytem. Angaran negara untuk dana partai
politik sangat besar, sekitar 124 milyar. Anggaran tersebut tidak menjadikan
partai bagian dalam memajukan kesejahteraan rakyat. Untuk mengurangi anggara
yang besar tersebut harus dibatasi jumlah partai di Indonesia. pembatasan
tersebut berdasarkan ideologi partai. Each
parties have ideologis, it is Pancasila, korservatisme, marhaenisme,
nasionalism, religion, and nasionalism-religion. Maka dari itu, batas maksimal
partai politik di Indonesia yaitu sejumlah enam partai.
2.
Presidential Threshold 10%
Saat
ini presidential threshold adalah 20%, itu menyebabkan semakin sedikitnya kesempatan
untuk menjadi kandidat dalam pemilihan umum. Seharusnya presidential threshold
hanya 10% sehingga membuka kesempatan kepada setiap orang untuk maju menjadi
kandidat dalam pemilihan umum. Pemilihan tidak didominasi oleh kelompok
tertentu dan rakyat dapat memilih kandidat terbaik dari beberapa kandidat yang
ada.
3.
The priority of public policy is the
prosperity of people
Pembangunan
infrastruktur penting, tetapi pemerintah tidak boleh mengesampingkan
pembangunan kesejahteraan rakyat. Begitupun dalam pelaksanaan demokrasi,
pemerintah juga harus tetap mengutamakan kesejahteraan. Kebijakan harus
berpihak kepada rakyat.
4.
A great punishment for a money politic crime
Kejahatan
money politik harus mendapat hukuman yang besar, hukuman tersebut bukan hanya
untuk kandidat tetapi juga untuk rakyat yang menerima money politik. Sehinggga
secara tegas tidak ada money politik dan membangun pemimpin yang anti korupsi,
pemimpin yang berintegritas.
References
Ida,
Laode. 2014. Sociology Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jakarta State
University (UNJ). International Journal of Politics and Good Governance. Volume
5, No. 5.4 Quarter IV 2014
Indonesia
Kreatif. 2014. The Legatum Prosperity Index 2013
L.
Diamond. 2008. The Spirit of Democracy: the struggle to build free societies
throughout the world. Times Books: Henry Holt an Company
Martha,
Bainus, dan Heryadi. Pengaruh Pelaksanaan Demokrasi Terhadap Kesejahteraan: Teori
Dan Realita (Studi Kasus: Indonesia). Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik,
Universitas Padjajaran
The
Asia Fondation. 2014. Election in Indonesia
[1] Martha,
Bainus, dan Heryadi. Pengaruh Pelaksanaan Demokrasi Terhadap Kesejahteraan:
Teori Dan Realita (Studi Kasus: Indonesia). Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik,
Universitas Padjajaran
[2] The Asia
Fondation. 2014. Election in Indonesia
[3] Indonesia
Kreatif. 2014. The Legatum Prosperity Index 2013
[4] Ida,
Laode. Sociology Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jakarta State
University (UNJ). International Journal of Politics and Good Governance. Volume
5, No. 5.4 Quarter IV 2014
[5] L.
Diamond. 2008. The Spirit of Democracy: the struggle to build free societies
throughout the world. Times Books: Henry Holt an Company