TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hope can come from unexpected sources, at the least expected time. In Indonesia recently, when the country seethed with election fever, tension, intrigue and slander, there came the volunteers. They were youths from diverse professions who genuinely cared for the nation's fate. It wasn't just about ensuring victory for their preferred presidential candidate, it was more about saving Indonesia from the shadow of its dark past: militarism, environmental destruction, a paralyzed democracy and lost freedom.
The volunteers seem to come from a different world. They are not party politicians although many may have been activists at one time or another. They are not the descendants of the nation's founding fathers nor are they heirs to the top spot of political parties. They are artists, computer experts or workers at marketing and public relations firms. In short, they come from the 'real' and serene world far from the clatter of the political arena.
Sixteen years have passed since reforms began in 1998. But politics, which was expected to become the foundation to democracy, changed for the worse. It became instead just a forum to further the interests of the oligarchs. Representative institutions were filled with those claiming to represent their constituents when they were in reality nothing more than vote buyers. Corruption is rampant and in some cases, sadly, committed by young politicians. The government has become a conglomerate of the winning contenders, opportunity seekers who seek to be compensated for their hard work in the elections.
That is why when the volunteers emerged from out of nowhere, we saw a flicker of hope. The most spectacular manifestation of this was the Two-Finger Salute concert at Bung Karno Stadium on July 5 in Jakarta. More than 100,000 spectators came, not just to enjoy the music but to participate in what they saw as part of a campaign to support presidential hopeful Jokowi and to witness the wonder of volunteerism. Abdee Slank, who was most responsible for this celebration, was arguably the voice of the voiceless.
In addition to Abdee, there was Ainun Najib, an IT volunteer who played a major role in monitoring the presidential election vote count and results. From his perch in neighboring Singapore, he created kawalpemilu.org, a website that enabled people to check the election results against the official count. There was Teuku Radja Sjahnan, who was active in educating and informing voters of their rights and Kartika Djoemadi, a social media volunteer working for an online network known as Jasmev. In Bali, beyond the brouhaha of the elections, I Gede Ari Astina alias Jerinx, a drummer from the rock band Superman is Dead, is an unlikely organizer of protestors against the reclamation of Benoa Bay.
They all share one common thread, the belief that politics is not the monopoly of politicians but the business of almost everyone. Ironically, they also share the traits of having no headquarters, no leaders. Their activities are not the result of mobilization.
They are volunteers in the real sense of the word. It distinguishes them from others in terms of motivation, such as from those who join political parties. The little or no remuneration guarantees their freedom from vested interests. It is why volunteers find themselves easily supporting Jokowi inasmuch as they hold on to their right to criticize him when as president, he appointed problematic people to his cabinet. They can be in the same political party like the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and other pro-Jokowi coalition parties but as easily change their mind to oppose the parties' insistence in placing their questionable cadres in the cabinet.
This spirit of volunteerism must be fostered. One way is not to co-opt the volunteers in anything structural. Let them remain as they are, free guardians of morality, congregating when they need to straighten something crooked and disperse to where they come from after their mission is done. The duty of the government should be to give them space, so these volunteers can continue to do their good work: sustaining freedom and making sure their voices are not regarded merely as a noisy disruption. (*)
Read the full story in this week's edition of Tempo English Magazine
