Johanes Koraag
Democracy, rooted in the Greek tradition of organizing society by electing representatives of the people to become public servants, has now become a system of government adopted by most modern countries. Democracy has become the main standard and indicator of a country’s progress. If a country desires to label itself a democratic society, it should consciously place respect and protection on human rights. The basic core of the democratic system is the recognition of individual rights in participating to determine who will be elected to be the leader of the country. The motto of democracy “of the people, by the people, and for the people” indicates that in a democratic state, it is the people who hold the supreme power. The leaders of the country are individuals who are elected directly or indirectly by the people for a certain period of time and are mandated by their voters to run the wheels of government.
Indonesia needs to indigenize democracy and human rights in accordance with the context of Indonesia as a multicultural country. Democracy was born from the womb of a monocultural Greek society and developed in a Western society. Hence, the values contained in a democracy need to be adapted to the very diverse Indonesian society. If we impose the principles of democracy and human rights as applied in Western countries, then both will experience resistance or even backlash from multicultural societies such as Indonesia.
In panel 2 of the 5th ICIR Conference, there were three presenters who presented their research results related to efforts to indigenize democracy and human rights to suit the very diverse situation and conditions of Indonesia. The first presenter is Musdodi Manalu of CRCS UGM with his research entitled “DO NOT TAKE OUR HOME! The Challenge of Suku Anak Dalam’s Life Under the Demands of Modernization.” In his research, Manalu highlighted the government’s efforts to modernize the Suku Anak Dalam (Orang Rimba, Kubu’s Tribe) by building permanent houses with the intention that they would no longer be nomadic in the forests of Sumatra.
Suku Anak Dalam possesses a rich and intricate culture grounded and has a deep connection with the natural world. Their belief system encompasses the spiritual world inhabited by forest spirits, ancestors, and various natural phenomena. This spiritual worldview finds expression through art, music, and dance, forming an integral part of their cultural identity. Suku Anak Dalam is an indigenous group that lives in the lowland rainforest of Sumatra, Indonesia. They are one of the last hunter-gatherer societies globally and maintain a profound connection with the natural world. The estimated population of this tribe is approximately 200,000 people, predominantly residing in Jambi province, with smaller populations in South Sumatra and Riau provinces. Typically organized in small, nomadic groups consisting of extended families. They exhibit a decentralized social structure. The traditional lifestyle of Suku Anak Dalam revolves around hunting, gathering, and fishing. Their adept understanding of the forest and its resources enables them to thrive in this demanding environment. Their dwellings, constructed from leaves and branches, are modest, and they frequently relocate their camps to track the availability of food and resources.
The government’s approach of wanting the tribe to change their culture of living in the forest to living in houses is a futile effort, as the tribe is a community that relies heavily on the forest for its livelihood. When they are forced to live in houses built by the government and have to stay for a long period of time, it is the same as removing them from the “home” they have lived in all this time. The forest for this tribe is not a foreign and dangerous place as perceived by the government. Instead, the forest is a safe and comfortable mansion for the tribe. They are free to interact with nature and all the animals in it, their children used to play in trees and rivers and joke with all the animals they met in the forest. The forest is an integral part of the Anak Dalam tribe’s life, uprooting them from the forest is like cutting the roots of their lives. It is impossible for these tribes to survive outside the forest, the forest is the source of life for them. This tribe confronts numerous challenges, including deforestation, encroachment by external parties, and discrimination. In addition, they are susceptible to diseases and conflicts with other groups.
Suku Anak Dalam represents a vital component of Indonesia’s cultural heritage and plays a pivotal role in the conservation of rainforests. They have a deep understanding and interconnectedness of humans and nature. They believe that the forest is not only given to humans, but should be shared by all living creatures. They understand the importance of forests in maintaining environmental balance and providing oxygen to their communities. Instead of modernizing them, we should learn from their wisdom and respect their deep connection to nature.
The focus of the modernizing paradigm on control and uniformity is not effective for them due to their deep connection to the forest. Physical construction as a modernization tool disconnects them from the forest, leading to exploitation and forest destruction. The government should adopt a communicative approach to understand Suku Anak Dalam’s needs and worldview, recognizing them as equal citizens. Empowering them should include fulfilling their citizenship rights and supporting sustainable practices. By recognizing their inherent value and indigenous knowledge, the government can better integrate them into Indonesia’s diverse society.
The second presenter was Oluwasegun Ogunsakin from the Department of Peace and Security Studies, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. He presented his research entitled “Protection and Enhancing Of Human Rights Inclusion For Sustainable Democracy In Nigeria.”
A sustainable democracy requires strong institutions, reliable structures, and active citizens. To achieve this, there is a need to balance state power with strong competing interests that hamper the development of democratic institutions. Sustainable Democracy protects and advances the right to vote, democratic culture, and community values. It is developing all aspects of democracy and a healthy democratic atmosphere to benefit present and future generations. Sustainable democracy means thinking about approaches to address the root causes of antidemocratic behavior by collaborating information and communication technology (ICT) and civic education about democracy.
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and culturally diverse nation of 36 autonomous states and the Abuja Federal Capital Territory. Nigeria has more than 220 million population and various languages, the nation is endowed with natural resources. According to Aduba (2012), human rights are the essence of every human being, namely, defining and affirming their humanity. According to the United Nations, democracy provides “a society that respects human rights and fundamental human freedoms and in which the free will of the people is exercised.
It cannot be denied that the Nigerian Constitution contains many complex provisions that provide basic rights to Nigerian citizens (Okangla, 2021). Furthermore, there is no doubt that these provisions align with international human rights instruments to deepen democratic governance in the country. Nevertheless, what is worrying is how successive governments, particularly the current administration, have promoted and enforced these regulations.
In Nigeria, many laws have been passed since 1999 to promote, protect and enforce human rights. With the many legal regulations that have been issued by the government, to this day Nigeria still faces many challenges in realizing sustainable democracy. The challenge is in the form of the emergence of terrorism and banditry in several states that are still facing problems of poverty. As a result of severe poverty, some groups take shortcuts by committing crimes. However, there are some people who carry out terror with religious motivations, influenced by deviant religious interpretations. The ease of obtaining weapons from illicit trade that often occurs in Africa adds to the complexity of the terrorism problem in Nigeria. A strong government system is being built in Nigeria, but its resilience must still be tested.
In protecting and enhancing human rights inclusion for sustainable democracy in Nigeria, it is important that democracy needs to continue to be fostered and protected. It was found that human rights inclusion in Nigeria is vital to achieving sustainable democracy. It should be noted that the Nigerian constitution, with its various legal frameworks, must be improved to ensure that all citizens are included in protecting human rights. This study highlights that although there are challenges facing the country, the development of action-based policies will lead to sustainable democracy and push for inclusive human rights for all Nigerians.
The third and final presenter on this panel was Nuruddin Al Akbar, a political science doctoral student at the UGM Department of Politics and Government. The title of the presentation was “From Physical to Metaphysical Foundation of Earth Democracy: Reflection on Radhakrisnan’s Philosophy of Religion.”
Akbar’s study attempts to show the relevance of Radhakrisnan’s thought in relation to strengthening the foundations for Earth Democracy. Earth Democracy is a movement that “prioritizes people and nature above commerce and profits.” In the original earth democracy scheme developed by Vandana Shiva. Shiva relies more on the latest findings in physics, especially regarding quantum physics, which emphasizes the interconnection of all things, including humans and nature. Shiva’s idea was that a decentralized approach to agriculture, based upon a diverse array of locally adapted seeds, would be more likely to weather the vagaries of a changing climate than a system relying on only a few varieties.
Earth Democracy connects people in circles of care, cooperation, and compassion instead of dividing them through competition and conflict, fear, and hatred. As a Philosophy/Consciousness, Earth Democracy tried to universalize the idea of Peace, Care, Compassion. Spreading the perspective from cooperatism (I-ness) to People and Environment Centered (we-ness). The idea of Earth Democracy is based on the spirit of re-connection between humans and nature and humans and other humans. This idea is a criticism of the contemporary conception of democracy, which is built on the metaphysics of anthropocentrism, which negates the intrinsic value of nature.
In turn, this negation of the intrinsic value of nature actually turns around to negate the intrinsic value of humans which in modern democracy is reduced to mere numbers and can be easily manipulated through the collaboration of politicians and corporations. Akbar’s study agrees with Shiva that the reconstruction of democracy requires the reconstruction of human consciousness. However, Akbar believes that the reconstruction of consciousness can not only be built on the foundations of new physics but also metaphysics. The metaphysics offered by Radhakrishnan based on the concept of tat twam asi can be an alternative because of its ecumenical and integral nature (in other words, physics and metaphysics are inseparable as the foundation of earth democracy).
From the three presenters, we can conclude that the main idea when we are talking about democracy and development is inclusivity and connectivity. The main reason why in this world today there are a lot of conflicts arises because humans experience separation from Mother Nature. Natural resources that are becoming increasingly scarce are being fought over by increasingly large numbers of humans. Humanity must think more seriously about the consequences caused by development projects, especially those related to the preservation and continuity of nature. We have to think about what kind of earth we will pass on to the generations who will live in the future.
