Democracy and government system in Indonesia

Democracy is a government system based on the concepts of intellective rooted from people, by people, and for people. In this application, the government is controlled by people through the legislation that mades by the house of representative in the parlianment.

Since the appointmented Ir Soekarno and Moh. Hatta as a President and vice president of Indonesian Republics on 18th August 1945, no government system that held by Indonesia at the time.

Presidential system

The first government system in Indonesia before the democracy system applied is presidential. The presidential system is choosen by Soekarno-Hatta as government system in early centuries of freedom.

This system focuses on the government power to president and vice president. So at that time, the Indonesian people entrusted everything with Soekarno-Hatta. In performing their duties, Soekarno-Hatta were accompanied by Indonesia’s National Comitee Center (KNIP/Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat) and formed the presidential cabinet.

Presidential system is the government system where the head of government is held by the president and have’nt a responsibilities to the parlianment or legislative. Meanwhile, the minister has a responsibilities to the president. Because he has a position as a head of country and government at once.

According to Rod Hague, the presidential government has three important elements: The president is chosen by people, he can appoint the government officials, also have a regular reign in the government, and there is no overlap status between the executive and legislative board.

The implementation of presidential government system is engander the apprehensiveness of people for the absolute government. Furthermore, to avood absolutism and domination in the one-side, Indonesian government are published three decoratione:

1. Vice president declaration No. X on 16th October 1945, that contained the changes of Indonesia’s National Comitee Center (KNIP) into legislative board.

2. Government declaration on 3rd November 1945 about formed the politicals party.

3. Government declaration on 14th November 1945 about the changes of government system from presidential system into parliamentary system.

Parliamentary system

Parliamentary system is a government system where the government (executive) are have an responsibilities to parliament (legislative). In a parliamentary government system, parliament has the power and big authority in supervising the executive wisdom.

One of characteristic of the parliamentary government system is the parliament members are consist of the people from politicaly parties that won the election. Moreover, the cabinet and government are consist of the minister and prime minister as the head of cabinet.

When the parliamentary government system is applied, the supremacy is fully held by the people. In performing this duties, the president formed one cabinet again, but this cabinet was not running long. It causes so many challenges must be faced by Indonesia both from home and abroad.

The first parliamentary system in Indonesia was started since 14^th November 1945 until 12^th march 1946 under the leadership of Indonesian fist vice ministers: Soetan Sjahrir, or we can called as Sjahrir cabinet.

The step to change Indonesia’s government system from presidential into parliamentary system is considered as the ideology political step of Sjahrir that submitted the social-democrats and encourage the western democracy system that the parliamentary is very strong.

Moreover, parliamentary government system is getting stronger because they have a constitutional basis that the temporary constitution 1949 and 1950.

The temporary constitution 1949 is regulated that executive board is consist of the president as a head of constitutional country and the ministers are have the political responsibilities under the prime minister as a head of government.

In practice, the parliamentary government system in not last long, according to Miriam Budiardjo the Professor of Political Science in University of Indonesia in his book about political fundamental: the applied of parliamentary government system in Indonesia was mismatch, because the union and unity between the political power of nation and country were hard to be controlled.

Furthermore, according to Miriam the parliamentary government system in Indonesia was engandered the domination of political party and legislative board that exactly encouraged the National political becomes unstable.

On 21^st February 1957, president Soekarno was regulated the “President’s conseption”. In this conception, Soekarno was declared that the parliamentary government system was the part of wester government system and had been changed.

Finally, the height of political chaotic was ended where president Soekarno was published the presidential decree on 5^th july 1959. It contained the Indonesia’s constitutional was back to the constitution 1945 at time finished the last parliamentary cabinet that lead by Ali Sastroamidjojo or called as Ali cabinet II and all of parliamentary government system in Indonesia.

The guided democracy

The next government system applied in Indonesia after the parliamentary system is guided democracy. It start from President Soekarno was published the presidential decree on 5^th July 1959

Legally, presidential decree that published by the first president in Indonesia on 5^th July 1959 was about constituent dissolution from election results 1955 and changed the basic constitution from temporary basic constitution 1950 into constitution 1945.

Before the presidential decree was published, parliamentary system was current with the formed of the transition cabinet that led by Ir. Djuanda or called by Djuanda cabinet. This  was consist of the people who were not from dominant coalition in the parliamentary party. So that cabinet often called as parliamentary extra cabinet. It worked since 9^th April 1957 until 10^th July 1959.

The concept of guided democracy system firstly was published by President Soekarno in the constituency at 10^th November 1956. The guided democracy system according to decission of MPRS No. III/MPRS/1956 was about the democracy that led by wisdom in the legacy and deputation that contained the discussion for agreement in teams between all of National power.

In short, the guided democracy system is the democracy system where the regulation and consideration are centered in the head of country and at that time is President Soekarno (1959-1965).

Pancasila democracy

Pancasila democracy is a democracy system that accentuate the discussion for the vote without opposition. There is some principle of Pancasila democracy:

1.     The government is obtained based on constitution

2.     The presence of continuosly election

3.     The roles of importance cluster

4.     The appreciation of human rights and protection of minority rights

5.     Pancasila democracy as the competition of ideas and how to solve the problems

6.     The best ideas will be received not by popular vote.

Pancasila democracy is the constitutional democracy with the mechanism of people’s supremacy in the enforcement of country and and government that based on the constitution 1945. Pancasila democracy is tied to constitution, and in this applied must be based on it.

This government system began when President Soeharto was expropriated the power from President Soekarno based on the warrant on 11^th March 1966 (supersemar) and than he was formally appointed as the second president of Indonesia Republic and coincided with the beginning of new order government.

During the new order government, the Pancasila, the constitution 1945 and the decission of people legacy council are become the formal basis that applied in Indonesia

The new order government system is intend to realign the ambition of indonesia’s democracy that become different into a dictatorship under the rule of Soekarno during the guided democracy system (old order).

One thing to do to remove the old order dictatorship is cancelled the decission of MPRS No. III/1963 about the appointment of Soekarno as President for life, and the revision of presidency into elective position (continuosly election) in one period is five years.

When the political and national economic are back stable, obviously there is a concentration of force into President Soeharto. Overtly, the government system of President Soeharto was turned into the authoritarian regime. At that time, the corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN) were more widespread. Moreover, the economic development was’nt feslt by people and engander the economic problems as at the last period of guided democracy system.

Besides, because this constantly strucked with demonstration waves by anti-group of Soeharto government such as student, youth, and labour that claimed for president Soeharto to declined from his employement. Finally, president Soeharto was declared the regression on 12th May 1998 or recognized as reformation 1998 and also signify the end of Pancasila democracy.

Furthermore, the collapse of new order government was opened the possibility of political reformation and docratization process in Indonesia. In short, the experience of new order period also make the nation of Indonesia conscious that democracy is important for the grouter of people prosperity. Therefore, all of Indonesian people post-1998 were reclined that democratization process under the lead of President Habibie and development reformation cabinet can run well and no more anomalies transition of democracy as from old order into ner order government.

Democracy government system

Democracy is a government system based on the concepts of intellective rooted from people, by people, and for people. In this application, the government is controlled by people trough the legislation that made by the house of representative in the parliament.

Democratization process in Indonesia is started when the expropriation of power from President Soeharto into the vice Prsident BJ. Habibie on 21st May 1998. It’s called as “transition” because in this phase, Indonesia was through the transitional of government system from the authoritarian regime into democracy system, the transition of military supremacy into civil supremacy, from centralization into democratization, etc. It means that Indonesia was started to left the dictatorship system and toward change as democratic nation.

In this transition era of democracy system was formed some new constitution about political party, election, and about the position of the assembly of the people as the country highest institution that also change.

Furthermore, the democracy system in Indonesia is familiar with “trias political concepts” where the government system is divided into three, that is executive power, legislative power, and judicial power.

The trias political concepts was triggered by Mostesquieu. This theory of separation power is mentioned about the state power have to divided into some parts.

The applied of this concept in the government is make the power of state administrators become unabsolut because this divided into some institutions that supervise mutually. Moreover, with being the separation of institution and this function, it makes the power of government become not absolutely and make the cooperate between them. The authority gives in absolut for someone or institution, potentially cause the abuse in it.

This concept usually discovered in the country that embrace the principle of democracy. Indonesia is one of nation that applied the impure trias political concepts. Either before or after  the amandement of he constitution of the Indonesia Republic (UUD 1945), the number of state administrators are unlimited into MPR, DPR, President, and MA (Supreme court).

Furthermore, there is institution that contribute in the government. Before the amandement, the state institution was consisted by MPR, DPR, President, MA (Supreme court), DPA (the supreme council of judgement) and BPK (financial inspector agency). The DPA function is held the power of consultative, and BPK support the power of examinative.