Name : Bevan Pramudito H

Student Number : 14010120190051

Subject : Civil Society and Democracy

Summary and Review from Youtube Peluncuran Buku “Demokrasi tanpa Demos”

A. Wijayanto resumes
Wijayanto discussed that democracy should be considered as an ongoing process, and not just
an end goal. He criticized that democracy in Indonesia is currently more focused on formal
institutions such as elections and parliament and pays little attention to civil society
participation. Wijayanto also stated that democracy in Indonesia is often colored by injustice,
such as large economic disparities and rampant corruption. He concluded that to improve
democracy in Indonesia, efforts were needed to strengthen civil society participation and
improve governance. In his book, Wijayanto criticizes the general view of democracy as a form
of government based on the power of the people or demos. He believes that democracy in
Indonesia cannot be explained using the concept of demos because the majority of Indonesian
people do not have equal access to resources and political opportunities.
According to Wijayanto, the concept of democracy used in Indonesia should involve an
understanding of inequality in access to political power and resources. He suggests that there
are three important factors to consider in evaluating the quality of democracy in Indonesia:
access to information, access to resources, and access to power networks. In his book,
Wijayanto provides examples showing how this access inequality affects the political and
economic system in Indonesia. Wijayanto also presents various solutions to improve the quality
of democracy in Indonesia, including increasing transparency and political participation,
increasing access to resources, and reforming power networks. He argued that a better
democracy would be achieved if we corrected the existing social and economic disparities in
Indonesia.
B. Jeffrey Winters resumes
Jeffrey Winters is a professor of political science at Northwestern University and the author of
"Oligarchy". In his book, Winters introduces the concept of "resource oligarchy" as a new
model for understanding political and economic power in Indonesia. According to Winters, a
resource oligarchy consists of a small group of people who have access to abundant natural
resources, such as mines or forests. Their power is based on their ability to control access to
these resources, and they often have close relationships with government and military officials.
Winters also presents various examples showing how this resource oligarchy influences the
political and economic system in Indonesia. He argues that the powers of these resource
oligarchs are very difficult to limit or cancel because they have enormous influence on the
government and military. Jeffrey Winters discusses the concept of oligarchy and how oligarchy
can undermine democracy. He argued that oligarchy is a power system in which a few people
who have great wealth and power can control political and economic policies. This can lead to
injustice and threaten the sustainability of democracy. Winters also discussed that oligarchs can
be affected by issues such as economic and social injustice, and that efforts to reduce oligarchy
power should be accompanied by more inclusive economic reforms.
C. Dirk Thomas resumes
Dirk Thomas discusses the relationship between democracy and constitution. He argued that
the constitution should not only be a formal document, but also contain the desired values and
principles in a democracy. Thomas criticized that in Indonesia, the constitution is often ignored
and not respected, so this can undermine democracy. He also discussed the importance of press
and media freedom in supporting democracy, and concluded that the constitution and freedom
of the press must be strengthened to improve democracy in Indonesia. He describes how
indigenous peoples often practice democracy in the context of everyday life, such as in joint
decision-making and conflict resolution. Thomas emphasized that indigenous peoples'
democratic practices need to be recognized and valued as a legitimate and valuable form of
democracy, and that they can provide inspiration for the development of a more inclusive and
participatory democracy in Indonesia as a whole.
Thomas highlighted several issues that are still obstacles in the process of democratization in
Indonesia, such as widespread corruption, frequent human rights violations, political violence,
and abuse of power by political elites. He also discussed religious and identity issues which are
sources of conflict in Indonesia. However, Thomas also showed some positive signs in the
process of democratization in Indonesia, such as the more active participation of the public in
the political process, the emergence of more independent media, and the stronger presence of
civil society organizations.