Demanding to be heard

I made a trip down to the Institute for Research and Empowerment (IRE), a local NGO in Yogya yesterday as part of Pak Aris’ research project. It’s amazing to see true civil society at work here. Something you don’t see too often in Singapore where I feel, civil society isn’t as much a society as it is a few individuals virtuously voicing their opinions to a people either too busy or tired to care.

Here in Yogya, when they say civic engagement, they truly mean it. IRE is concerned with advocacy issues at the local and district levels and the books they publish, along with INSIST (another NGO), are very enlightening reads. It’s an open forum when it comes to discussing issues of political legitimacy, corruption of leadership and effectiveness of governance. As Pitra mentioned, it’s been free for all after the New Order. Censorship no longer exists and everyone, from Islamic hardliners demanding the imposition of syariah law (as in Aceh) to advocacy NGOs pressing for democratic change, are now jostling for their voices to be heard. Decentralisation of government has also resulted in its concomitant weakening and so the issue that arises in Indonesia today is whose voice is louder and is most worthy to be listened to?

A world of difference in comparison to the centralized authority that is Singapore’s PAP. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.