"Democratic politics remains difficult to find in the political processes of Indonesia. Political elites seem unprepared to accept democracy as a political system."
This statement was made by Prof. Salim Said, MA., during a public lecture hosted by the Department of Government Science, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP), Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), at the UMM Hotel on October 6, 2012. According to Prof. Salim Said, progressive politics is marked by the maturity of both elites and society in practicing politics. He emphasized, "The political maturity of elites and society is crucial in realizing a progressive political civilization."
However, he noted that both elites and society still struggle to practice politics responsibly. "Our political elites often engage in pragmatic politics, while society’s limited understanding of politics makes it easier for elites to gain power through financial means," he explained.
This political condition reflects a very low level of national civilization. Prof. Salim Said further elaborated, "Poor politics is demonstrated by the behavior of political elites who tend to use power as a tool to influence others for personal gain, while society views politics as an unimportant activity. Society’s understanding of politics is often reduced to emotional satisfaction, leading to high political fragmentation. Such a political climate indicates that the nation’s civilization is still very underdeveloped," said the former Ambassador to the Czech Republic.
The consequence of this political state is the entrenched tendency among elites or those in power to engage in misconduct, including corruption. "The widespread corruption is a direct consequence of a low level of political civilization," he critically remarked.
The public lecture, attended by 150 freshmen, received a positive response from the students. Muhammad Hasan, a 2012 freshman from Dompu, expressed his enthusiasm: "We are delighted with this public lecture. It has broadened our understanding of political and governmental issues. We hope similar lectures will continue in the future," he said with optimism.
