The Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) held a Virtual Election Class via Zoom. In the first class (13/4), the advisor of Perludem, Didik Supriyanto, gave material on the history of democracy. The material was published by rumahpemilu.org as shared learning material.
What is democracy?
Didik quoted the statement of one of the former presidents of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, when explaining the meaning of democracy. Namely that democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Democracy requires freedom for each individual to express his/her interests, and provides space without exception to participate in determining decisions in government.
“Because of the respect for freedom in a democracy, democracy provides itself to be killed by its adherents. Radical parties in many countries are welcome. Even if your party adheres to an ideology that is against democracy, you are welcome," said Didik.
Democracy was used popularly by countries in the world after World War II in the 1940s. Democracy is considered as the system that insults humanity the least.
“Why is democracy globalizing? Because this is the finding of a human masterpiece, which is considered to be at least insulting to humanity,” he said.
Development of democracy
The idea of democracy has emerged since the 2nd century BC. At that time, one of the city-states in Greece practiced direct government by the people. As for direct democracy, it is considered not a good system of government, one of them by the leading philosopher of his time, Aristotle, because bad decisions can be made due to the participation of non-capacity citizens in decision making.
Aristotle divides the system of government into two judgments, namely the bad and the good. In the category of rule by one person, monarchy is a good form, whereas tyranny is bad. The categories of rule by the few, aristocracy of good character, and oligarchy of bad character. The category of government by many, polyarchy is good, while democracy is bad.
“Why is democracy bad? Because decisions are made by many people who are not always good at it. So, it could be a bad decision," said Didik.
Democracy disappeared for centuries until it reappeared in the 1500s in the form of theories of power. Super strong state power, supported by the legitimacy of the church during the Middle Ages was criticized. The social contract theory was born by John Locke and Thomas Hobbes, as well as another theory of power by Voltaire and J.J. Rosseau.
“They put forward the basic principles of living together. For them, state sovereignty is not from God. The state is formed based on an agreement among its people. So there is a social contract, namely a contract made by people in a community, promising to live together so that there is a division of labor, a division of tasks,” explained Didik.
In social contract theory, it is also recognized that every citizen has an equal position, and has the same rights and obligations. The state is obliged to protect individual rights, such as civil rights and the right to life. State power must also be controlled.
In its development, the trias politica theory emerged, namely state power is divided into three branches. One, the power to form laws or legislatures. Two, the power to run the law or the executive. Three, the power to enforce the law or the judiciary.
“This developed in the 1700s, so America was born. That's why in the United States, the division of power is very rigid," concluded Didik.
In the 1940s, the forerunner of the idea of modern democracy came to the theory of constitutional democracy. The power of government must be limited by the constitution to prevent abuse of power. This theory was adopted by the new countries after the outbreak of World War II, while the old countries made it the material to improve the country's constitution.
Soon after, the rule of the law theory was born. The government must be run based on the law, the rule of law must be upheld, the rights of citizens are guaranteed by the constitution, and that the rights of every citizen are equal before the law.
There are also theories about people sovereignty or modern democracy. Henry B Mayo, for example, a political scientist who has collected the notion of democracy from many thinkers from ancient Greek civilization to modern times, concludes that there are five values of democracy. One, resolve disputes peacefully and institutionally. Two, organize a change of leadership on a regular basis. Three, limit the use of force to a minimum. Fourth, acknowledge and consider diversity fairly. Five, ensure the upholding of justice.
The benchmark of a democracy
Quoting Robert Dahl, there are five standards of democracy, namely effective participation, equal suffrage, access to information, control of the public agenda, and equality of law
“Equality of suffrage is important. America was too late for equal suffrage. It wasn't until the 1960s that white people had the same right to vote. Women also get their rights later," concluded Didik.
Meanwhile, Miriam Budiarjo included six conditions for a government to be called democratic. The six conditions include constitutional protection, free elections, freedom of expression, freedom of association and assembly, and citizen education.
Consolidation of Democracy
In the 1980s, after the term democratic transition, the term democratic consolidation emerged. This term was born in the context of the transition from the authoritarian state in the 1960s to a democratic system of government.
“In the 60s, the authoritarian government was very strong. In Indonesia, there is the Soekarno regime. The regime change remains the same. Latin America, all military regimes. Eastern Europe is also all military and authoritarian regimes. But the 70s to 80s, began to fall. That's why there is a transition term. From authoritarian regimes to democracy. After the transition period, the concept of democratic consolidation is known," explained Didik.
Consolidation of democracy, according to Przworski, occurs when all political elites and society believe in making democracy the only way to manage and end various national and state problems. It can be achieved through stabilization, institutionalization, and legitimacy.
“Civil society in Indonesia has recently been concerned. From various sides, civil society weakened. Our political society is also not autonomous. Almost all policies are taken based on the policies of investors. There is such a conclusion. Or this regional head is said to have been nominated by the tauke (capital owner). When he/she took office, he/she could not be autonomous. He/she will pay his/her debts through licensing and through project contracts," said Didik.
Degree of democracy
Borrowing Ramlan Surbakti's thoughts, there are four degrees of democracy. First, democracy at the procedural level. If elections are held and there is free competition among election participants, but it has not yet created a democratic government, then it is classified as procedural democracy.
"This is the most basic level. We've already achieved that. Our election procedure has followed the existing rules of the game, the existing principles, but has not yet reached the maximum," said Didik.
Second, aggregative democracy. This means that all important decisions are taken by the majority group. Democracy has reflected the interests of the majority, but as a result, the interests of the minority have been sidelined.
Third, deliberative democracy. At this level, elections are held on a regular basis, and interests are drawn based on long discussions taking into account the interests of minority groups.
Fourth, participatory democracy, where everyone can participate in decision-making.
“If he/she believes that people sitting in government are not channeling his/her aspirations, he/she can convey his/her own aspirations. Even though at a certain point, he/she has to give in because a bigger interest must take precedence,” concluded Didik.
