There is this one anecdote about political science graduate, “We are many but we developed enough distrust to not involve ourselves with anything political. We know better to organize, but we ended up at the bottom of the ladder. In short, no one is studying politics and governance and in/sane enough to do anything about both.”

I used to have a friend from high school who is continuosly pestering me about the state of the local politics since my days as youth parliament delegate up to my college era. I said, “I didn’t care enough about local politics. All those parties are basically the same.” But they insisted that local politics are intriguing. Once he dismissed my disdain to Perindo declaration as a mass organization because, “this time will be different.” I heard this song before, Nasdem has done exactly that. Perindo did exactly that. “I am not clairvoyance, you know,” I sighed, “local politics are just a tad bit…predictable.”

My dad once was a representative for district parliament in a small town my family has been living in. I have heard the same dogma throughout my formative years. On how politics are the best kind of jihad. Jihad siyasi, he said. With a bit of a pen smudge and talk, a representative become responsible for the fate of many. Given how much neglecting he did while raising kids, I was (and still am) cynical.

I am not going to deny, politics are important. Indeed, every policy, every person who is responsible for policies, is responsible for the fortune of many. It is undeniably a struggle to keep people’s interest in mind, while you are fighting people with unchecked power and head-to-toe greedy interests. It’s just…

Look, we are all laughing at Martin Suryajaya when he wrote his thesis in 2019. Most people I know became dismissive of a hope that Jokowi brought in 2014. And ten years later, look at Jokowi now. True that things definitely change in 10 years, but this political behaviour and aligned interest it’s not something that could change in a span of decade—unless that we all agree, our politicians are spineless bunch.

Things change. In a span of 5 years, I saw two supporters from different side in my class of 2014 became the best of friends in 2019. But the state of politics remains bleak. Citizen like them, like me, like you can only hope so much but pray that we can still clinging to a little, to a wiggle.

I enter 2024 by reading Dimensions of Radical Democracy (Verso, 1992). I take this year’s general election as a chance to reflect on my political value. Despite the local politics’ tiresome nature, I am eager to ponder further the place and the role I should take as a citizen and someone who is privileged enough to understand. The book gave so much to think about, but ones that struck me the most are The Paradox of Pluralism by Louise Marcil-Lacoste and What Revolutionary Action Means Today by Sheldon Wolin.

Indonesia is a multitude. We even identify as such. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. We are a nation constantly in flux, in the making. We harness, we preserve, (and honestly I still doubt that) we celebrate diversity. And because of it’s pluralism, we are inherently paradoxical. Marcil-Lacoste successfully highlights the paradoxes:

• Between the natural diversity and ideal unity, we face the fundamental tension of the need of common identity and differing values across communities.
• Supposed infinite tolerance within pluralism always ended up making rooms for harmful ideologies.
• The ideal of equality won’t be reached in a political system that caters to majority and jeopardizing the political expression of minority.
• True social cohesion is impossible to achieve since we have to pay them forward with freedom of expression.
• Constant reassessment of the meaning of public spheres.

These paradoxes bear challenges. These challenges need communities to answer them. Yet, as long as communities feel that politics are far from their own hunger—and indubitably tumultuous, these challenges will remain challenges.

Yet these challenges need to be tackled. Communities must act. Could revolution be the answer? Wolin argues, that the violent notion of revolution is outdated. It is unfeasible in political system these days. Yet, I would argue, that the lack of violent force in the left is why the left is constantly losing. It is not zero-sum when we are talking about the violence and community care.

Yet, I have to agree with Wolin’s observation, that today’s democracy is a ‘managed-democracy’, where citizens are merely consumers of pre-packaged political options and have little to no say in shaping the political process. This ‘managed-democracy’, ultimately leads to apathy and public disengagement (sounds familiar?)

Blame the cynics in me, blame the anarchists, the leninists, the liberals, the social-democrats that I have read these past 15 years. But things won’t change much with those new political parties yet familiar faces. Do you all aware that Anas Urbaningrum’s party also join this year’s election, yet no one, I mean, no one, really talk about it?

Not to sound defeatist—but I’ll definitely sound like one—, Indonesia always has been a dysfunctional democracy. The root causes may prove plenty, and we can spend all ages to point fingers that lead nowhere, let alone progress. The prolonging effect of New Order various kinds of violence still hemorrhages in society’s vein, sharpen by the knife of unchanging bureaucracy and apparatus. The need for class-consciousness is becoming more imminent as the days gone by.

Somehow, I am still a bit hopeful. Despite his remarks about Indonesia is not ready for democracy and requires ‘soft-dictatorship’ (whatever the hell it means), no one guarantees that His Highness will turns out to be an iron fist—although, I can not possibly deny that the color suits him. His victory still, after all, is immoral. Yet, no one also guarantees that his oppositions will turns out as a true democrat if they won. You all know better not to blame the ahistorical majority, as it is also counter-productive to blame ourselves for letting the enemy win. Aren’t you guys tired of constantly choosing lesser evil?

The left must change. Radically. It is become more imperative for the left to reorganize, to actually living the democracy within the community. To emphasize the importance of political agency within individuals and communities. To be less involved in petty dramas and culture war in social media. To actually have guts to be involved in this foresaken political system. To be more direct with agendas. To actually start hitting the gym and joining a martial art class. To look after each other.