Indonesia: The Collapse Of KPK And The Victory Of Oligarchy

By: Lily Hikam*)

Aristotle once said: "Out of all (systems of governance), democracy is the best." This is a very memorable quote that everyone would recall.

However what most people seem to forget is that Aristotle didn`t stop there, he proceeded to point out the flaw of a democratic system. According to Aristotle, the flaw of a democratic system is that it placed power in the hands of the many (general populace/working people) and away from the privileged few (the wealthy/wealthiest people/business owners/merchants/company executives).

This is a problem for the privileged few who seek to concentrate their wealth and power over the rest of society, regardless of how detrimental such a thing would impact the general populace. To borrow Adam Smith`s words, "All for ourselves and nothing for other people".

This will lead to a struggle of power within the society: a push from below for a more equal share of power and pushback from the top who will refuse to cede their control over the wealth and power. This could be interpreted as "Class War".

This dilemma is a known entity, so much so that two solutions have been devised to address this. The two solutions are: 1) Reduce inequality for everyone, or 2) Limit democracy to the select few.

Which one do you think is being applied in Indonesia?

In my opinion, it`s the second solution.

Indonesia, since the New Order (or maybe even before?), has been plagued by oligarchy. Ask yourself this: when was the last time a legislation was passed that benefit you, personally? I bet if a study is conducted correlating the laws DPR pass and what the people want, we will see a very low correlation on the laws passed and people`s aspirations.

Because the truth of the matter is: DPR/D, DPD, MPR and the Palace, they  might not work for you the people. They are a government, for and by the oligarchies. Their main goal is to keep democracy for themselves and keep passing legislations that will keep the power in their hands, not the people`s hands.

If we were living in a democratic society, if the power is in the people`s hands, if DPR really do represent us, would we have passed a law weakening one of the most trusted institutions in the country? The one institution that safeguards us from the greed and the abuse of the Oligarchy. I think not.

And one of the most popular presidents in our lifetime is now under heavy pressures of the Oligarchy. He may not clothe himself in the refinery you would expect from a wealthy person, but the fact of the matter is he is increasingly becoming one of them. He`s been undergoing transformation to be entirely loyal to the Elite club, and it`s in his interest to fight for policies that protect and advance the club`s agenda.

It`s a big club, my friend, and we ain`t in it.

The weakening of the KPK is the most blatant sign of the tight grip the Oligarchy has on our society. They may be winning for now, but the "Class War" is probabliy far from over.

*) PhD candidate in cell & molecular biology, Dept. of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA., USA.