Religion In Indonesian Vote

RELIGION: A (CLASSICAL) TOOL OF POLITICS CONSTELLATION OF THE GENERAL ELECTION IN INDONESIAN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Luvdhy Wahyu S. E. Airlangga University

ABSTRACT In Indonesian contemporary society or in any society else, we will face a relationship among the religion, politics and voters. The relationship is barely a secret to be opened not as an irresistible fact like before. The objective is to make the people realize the potential danger of the miss-used of this instrument. In further explanation, the correlation of Marx’s thesis will be reinterpreted with the reality of the Indonesian politics and societies today. It significantly refers to the use of religion through the politic constellation in general election which seems as a religion’s dogma. The politics in most of the countries in the world use a democratic system based on the voting for majority. In this case, a need of general election will absolutely appear and the way to attract the constituents is always the most problem to be done. With the characteristics of Indonesian society, this moment that full of differences, the existence of many parties with also many basic ideologies is not a strange performance. One of the ideology and the way of attracting people vote on the party that seems never change in the altering society of Indonesia is the religion. It has developed in a new or actually persists in the similar way as a politics tool to construct the post-election constellation in Indonesian contemporary society whether the practical using is in a right manner or in contrary. ____________________________________________________________________ Keywords: Indonesian society, politics election, Marx’s thesis, religion

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INTRODUCTION At these moments, the condition

mindset that more opened. Then a

of Indonesian contemporary society comes to

shocking event occurs when the

straight point of five years cycle of general

quick

election.

of

published, the Democrat Party, a new

Indonesian multiculturalism and pluralism,

one of the president Susilo Bambang

there are too many tools to persuade the

Yudhoyono’s own, becomes the first

people to choose the provided parties when

rank. It shows the raising of public

voting times. As we know we will face more

trust to the government. In other side,

than one single period to vote because

a predictable thing takes place in a

Indonesia has the legislative and president

derivation

direct vote. At this term, people are pushed to

religion based parties. Every event in

be more confusing about what they will do in

the general election 2009 seems to be

the election compared with the poor and

a sign of the huge changes in

uneducated well of political knowledge they

Indonesian politics constellation after

have to recognize. While the government still

1998 reformation.

With

the

characteristics

count

try to upgrade the people’s participation in general election, the conditions precisely forces the people to do the opposite that discharging their smart awareness of the election itself.

general

election

2009,

the

of

has

people’s

been

vote

to

One thing that not or even never different is about a tool of Indonesian politics to invite people, it is religion. In Indonesian politics, especially

Many thing happened in the

result

in

general

election

nowadays, religion is a tool which is

addition

still watched as an effective way to

number of the parties which allows 34

persuade the people who remain

participants , the change of the election

holding to the values of religion

system from vote by punching ballot to

fanaticism.

The

scratch and the transformation of people

expectation

is

truth an

of

this

unanswered

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question yet reflects to this time when the

sometimes both of them, set aside the

victory of the three nationalism parties in

religion as a political tool that still

temporary vote’s result is signified

make any sense to the political elites

whereas the religion-based parties get

community in particular and the

lower. But according to the map of post-

people in general to be practiced

election political cooperation, whatever

once

the output, either the paradigm or the use,

contemporary society .

again

in

Indonesian

DISCUSSION 1. THE THESIS OF MARX IN INDONESIAN SOCIETY TODAY So far we are intimate with a famous sentence of Karl Marx “Religion is the opiate of the masses”, but the relevance of the thesis with our society condition now is being debatable. Marx assumed this thesis at the middle-age of Europe when the power of religion takes the most authority of the human life, beside the group of aristocracy. The power of the feudalism regime at that period use the religion, it is Catholic for the most, as an ideology to defend their control to the people. The church power is legitimacy for the attempt to oppress the masses. Fortunately it is worked successfully that only a few of

the Europe society have noticed about the truth of the Marx thesis. Related to the contemporary society of Indonesia nowadays, the thesis of Marx will meet its evidences when we look at the map of the politics parties. More than ten parties in the general election are the religion-based parties explicitly or implicitly which are PKS, PAN, PKB, PBB, PPP, PKNU, PDS, PBR, PMB, PSI AND PPNUI. It shows that more than 30% of the election participants are using religion as their basic values or purposes. The

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effect is that religions will directly or

effectiveness till now, though only for a

indirectly being used to play the people’s

limited community. The thesis of Marx

standpoint of the parties in general election.

about religion as a opiate to the masses

According to the temporary vote result, the

is relevant with the proofs above that

religion-based parties gain more than 25%

said the use of the religion to persuade

vote and it still has a probability to increase.

the people to vote the parties, at least it

The assumption of the religion attraction to

works for a quarter of the voters.

the

Indonesian

people

still

argued

as

2. THE ROLES OF RELIGION-BASED PARTIES IN GENERAL ELECTION Without winning the majority votes, the

lower point of the people trust to them

existence of the religion-based parties in the

or the nothingness of the figure persons.

general election is only to be the followers from the victors. Like what have done in the forming of coalitions among the participants, the sides is all about the biggest three of the pole position, then the religion-based parties which have one position lower or less will be only a decision-follower not the maker. For example, in a matter of the President candidates, there are no one of the religionbased parties which courageous enough to show off its member to be the president candidate of this country. While the big three that the nationalists ones is brave to mention

The reason why the religion-based parties never become one of the biggest three in the late three post-reform elections is all about their contribution to the society. So far, they are seen as the ones who taking use of the religion to attract the people, though sometimes they use the power of the spiritual leader of the religionists’ communities too. But, in fact after the have chosen, they can not do anything as a contribution to the society except something important to their group interest. In this term,

its president candidate. It clearly refers to the

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religions are being used in a wrong direction

ideology worked to legitimize the elite

to persuade the people power in a way of an

power through the lower societies.

3. THE WAY RELIGION BEING USED TO WORK OUT THE PEOPLE POWER The

people

now

become

more

what the ideals will take along to the

rationalist and pragmatist, therefore they are

reality’s surfaces. Just like Machiavelli’s

even harder to be tricked by. Mostly are more

written, the largest numbers of the

educated about the politics and what a

religion-based parties only require the

government must be. They are believe in the

ideals of religion to deceive the society,

praxis way a party or its member do well in a

meanwhile the one ideal within them are

government, not limited in the values a party

interest.

carrying it on.. But it still doesn’t close the entry of the religion based party because the power of individual cults or religion bad fanaticism that remains strong in their existence. Anyway, the acquisition of the religion-based parties has change into a new proportion with many of them become more modern, younger or precisely trapped into a disorientation values between nationalist and religionist foundation used. The changes of the religion-based parties direction have make a mark to the society that they only want to gain the people votes without a consistency of

The use of religion to resemble what is good or a movement in the God’s sakes has make at least one quarter of the people who do vote to believe in any religion-based parties which are campaigning for it. But the other greatest parts who have realized the power of the ideology of wrong used religion by their rationalism, knowledge or pragmatism will get two choices, don’t vote or vote for the other parties which give more real contribution to the society. The religion, somehow in false

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ways, has been misunderstood as a promise to

that it’s not a new way due to the similar

the Indonesian dream of justice, prosperity

pattern like what have occurred in the

and

this

past elections and power regimes. In

misunderstanding has been built by some

broadly definition, the religion-based

people who claim to against secularity as a

parties is a tool to apply the power of

politics tool to create an interest constellation

religion ideology to work out the

pointing to the power sharing after general

achievement of the party’s interest

election. Eventually, it’s not a surprising fact

goals.

glory.

Unfortunately,

4. THE POLITICS CONSTELLATION RESULT AS A REFLECTION OF THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION POLITICIZATION Whether

it

decrease

or

not,

the

a fatwa/rule to the Moslem to be obeyed

influence of the religion toward the efforts to

for, makes a controversial fatwa to ban a

gain the people power is still observed as an

golput , a name of the group of people

effective classical tool of politics. As we

don’t vote in Indonesia. It can be looked

know, most of the parties usually take an aid

as

from the spiritual leaders of any religions to

government to the private areas of the

make the people under their supremacy will

people, a pursuit of an agreement of the

also support the parties in the general election

democratic system in Indonesia or

some of the legislative or even the president

moreover a betrayal of the meaning of a

candidates may be come from the religionists.

word choice itself because it is also a

The standard points of view of the people

choice not to choose.

It will cause

always argue that the religionist is the one

politicization

the

who is better to hold the authority of the

institutions, members or the ideas of the

country. In other sample, we see that MUI, an

religion itself. The politics constellation

Islamic organization that has a right to decide

happened in general election with so

a

abundant

approach

within

of

the

religion

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many advertising of religion personage

result in the in the aims of religion

support toward the parties has reflected the

politicization.

CONCLUSSION The Marx thesis of the wrong

shape or names will continuously be in

direction religion has met the truth once

used of the politics of Indonesia. The

again in Indonesian contemporary society.

general election is both a moment and a

With

all

of

of

politics

way to put in check the validity of the

constellation

and

religion in political arts of the Indonesian

cooperation of the use of religion to draw

contemporary societies that is being wrong

out the votes from the people in general

or right used as a classical politicization.

election, the remarkable fact is that religion

Thus the answer lies in a difficulty to say

still holds its roles as a classical tool of the

that it is certainly not a kind of right roles

way politics are played. Regardless to the

of the religion through the Indonesian

condition of the Indonesian contemporary

conditions and politics here. In brief

society which is nowadays changing and

explanation, the fact that religion is a

still possibly in the future do more, the

political tool is thereby a truly reality in

influences of the religion whatever its

our contemporary societies today.

communication,

the

events

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THE AUTHOR

Name

: LUVDHY WAHYU SARWO EDY

Religion

: Islam

Place, Date of Birth

: Banyuwangi, November 5th 1988

Address in Surabaya

: Jl. Dharma Husada Utara No. 39

Inspiring words

: we live alone and bring our burden by our self. But with everyone besides us, each day is a happy day.

Email

: [email protected]

Phone number

: 085730024926

Hobby

: Reading, writing, thinking and chatting

Education

: fourth semester student of English Department faculty of humanities Airlangga University

Organization

: The head of Student Executive Board Faculty of Humanities Airlangga University 2009

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