CENTRA INITIATIVE STATUTE

The political reform in 1998 has put democracy as a political system adopted by Indonesia. Unlike the previous political system, the democratic system requires governance ruled by law and not by political powers.

Democracy aims to treat every individual equally. Everyone is seen as one, and no one is seen as more than one. The principle of equality demands that everyone’s interests be treated equally and ensures that every individual has equal opportunity regardless of their political view.

Democracy requires guaranteed protection and respect for human rights. Democracy and Human rights reinforce the belief that all people hold a special value tied solely to their humanity (human dignity) and give people the freedom to think independently. Although, in reality, Indonesia is no exception, a state may be governed by a democratic system, but its core principle, namely human rights and civil liberties, are often ignored (illiberal democracies).

Since 1998, the ongoing political reforms have not been easy. Groups of people enjoy political contests for their political interests rather than the public concern. As a result, the institutionalization of the political party system does not work properly because most political parties prioritize group interests.

Political and democratic developments have an impact on security sectors. Security approach pattern that neglects security for the rights of the community is still happening. States, in some cases, are still a source of threat to the security of citizens. The state becomes the subject and the object of the pursuit of security interests. These political and security phenomena tend to utilize security for the protection of the regime. Meanwhile, the guarantee of human security protection has not shown a positive sign.

In the life of a democracy and non-traditional approaches, the essence of security is vital to protect the security interests of non-state actors. The increasing threats to human security (poverty, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, environmental damage, and others) have become a real danger to our security. The security perspective focuses on the state that includes the importance of human security. The hallmark of this perspective is that the main threat to human security is the denial of human rights and the absence of the rule of law.

The rule of law supremacy is an essential pillar for a democratic nation. The characteristics of a democratic state based on the rule of law must put the law in control for democratic governance. Unfortunately, this idealistic vision has not yet materialized and is still far from expectations in Indonesia.

In the political, legal, and security conditions that have not yet shown their authentic form, society’s role in maintaining democracy, overseeing the security sector, monitoring progress state of law and human rights are critical factors in establishing democratic political life. On that basis, the Centra Initiative (Centre for Security and Democracy Studies) was formed to maintain and care for the democracy in Indonesia, which is still very young.