The Peaceful Democracy

 CULTURAL ANALYSIS

Muhammadiyah's 48th Muktamar (congress) ins different from a leadership-selection process. The largest modernist mass organization in Indonesia implements the democratic process in selecting its leaders in a calm & cool.

By

AHMAD NAJID BURHANI

Kompas, 11 Desember 2022 11:30 WIB·6 menit baca

SALOMO TOBING

Ahmad Najib Burhani

Our democratic culture, especially in general elections, is sometimes colored by intrigues, polarization and fights. Precisely when conditions are calm, without conflict and running smoothly, it is seen as something abnormal. There is even a tendency to suspect the system, when electing leaders not accompanied by acrimony, as being engineered or undemocratic.

In general elections, including the election for leaders of ormas (community organizations), money politics is something that usually happens. Suitcases filled with cash, the circulation of money from the campaign team to a number of delegates present, the action of buying hotel rooms by certain candidates, the promise and lure of giving tickets and accommodation to voters to direct their votes to certain candidates are the stories that are often found from congress, including those conducted by Islamic organizations.

Not to mention the war of placards, banners, posters or flyers, banners and billboards in the congress arena. Sometimes, as soon as we enter the city where the congress is being held, we can already sense the air war via big billboards. The city seems to be surrounded by photos of the faces of those who are running for leadership of certain mass organizations. As soon as election time comes, various dramas and commotion appear, sometimes to the point of blood with fist fights, throwing chairs and various other disturbances.

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What happened at Muhammadiyah's 48th Muktamar (congress) in Surakarta, Central Java, on 18-20 November 2022, is different from a leadership-selection process. The largest modernist mass organization in Indonesia implements the democratic process in selecting its leaders in a calm, cool and peaceful manner. There is no campaign for each candidate, because the election basis is the track record or achievements accomplished by each candidate in the previous administration period, not just sweet promises before the election. Candidates who look too aggressive sometimes lose support. Democracy is carried out based on civic culture, namely leaders and those who are led have an attitude of mutual trust and respect.

The election, which was held at the Surakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMS) Edutorium on Saturday (19/11/2022), also took place very quickly because it used an e-voting system. Of the 2,713 participants who had voting rights, 2,519 people used them. They were 14 members of Muhammadiyah's central leadership, 174 delegates from Muhammadiyah regional leadership, 2,504 delegates from Muhammadiyah regional leadership and 21 delegates from the Muhammadiyah autonomous organization. The whole thing took less than four hours. Exactly at 11:43 p.m., the entire selection process had been completed.

With the approval of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board, the announcement of the election results was broadcast on a large videotron in the auditorium at exactly 12:00 a.m. At least 13 new Muhammadiyah leaders were elected to lead this organization for the 2022-2027 period. They were Haedar Nashir, Abdul Mu'ti, Anwar Abbas, Busyro Muqoddas, Hilman Latief, Muhadjir Effendy, Syamsul Anwar, Agung Danarto, Saad Ibrahim, Syafiq A Mughni, Dadang Kahmad, Ahmad Dahlan Rais and Irwan Akib. These thirteen people then chose Haedar Nashir and Abdul Mu'ti as general chairman and general secretary of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board.

The selection process for prospective leaders was carried out long before the congress, starting with the distribution of forms to regions in Indonesia. Those who met the requirements could apply to become candidates for leadership by filling out the forms. In the early stages, 216 candidates were collected. After going through administrative selection, that number dropped to 126 candidates.

Of these 126 names, after going through various processes, 92 names were then brought to the tanwir meeting, which is the second-highest leadership meeting forum after the congress. At the tanwir, which was held right before the congress, a number of delegates who were present chose 39 names from the 92 available names. In the congress forum, 13 names were chosen out of 39 names. Those are the stages of selecting leaders in Muhammadiyah. Someone cannot suddenly run for office just because he has money or a name.

The e-voting system used in the 48th Congress in a simple form was built at the 47th Congress in Makassar, South Sulawesi, in 2015. At that time, voting technology was only used to calculate election results, while elections were still held manually. This time the system had been completed and the selection process up to the calculation was carried out with one technology system. All congress participants who had the right to vote got tokens with QR code.

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At the time of election, they would take turns entering the voting booth, which totaled more than 20 booths in the meeting room. They would scan the QR code in the token and automatically the names of 39 Muhammadiyah leadership candidates would appear on the monitor screen in the voting booth. They had to choose 13 names from the 39 names; not more, not less. Once they had voted, they needed to press the submit button to complete the selection. As soon as the button was pressed, the selection results would be printed and at the same time indicated that the selection process had been successful.

What does e-voting mean for Muhammadiyah members? Digital literacy and digital migration and adaptation. This system does not only make the election process fast and effective, but also builds behavior and digital awareness among Muhammadiyah members. Indeed, the cost is still high, but this is the cost that must be paid for transferring technology and building digital awareness in society.

This system does not only make the election process fast and effective, but also builds behavior and digital awareness among Muhammadiyah members.

What was perhaps not visible in the democracy at Muhammadiyah this time was the various "ideological" colors that have shaped the community association so far. Everything looked uniform; it was not visible that they had salafi, liberal, conservative, traditional, nationalist or other ideological tendencies. The colors of Yogyakarta, Central Java, Jakarta or East Java, which were usually jockeying for influence in elections, were also silent. This was perhaps what made some see the leadership election at the congress this time as flat, less exciting and less enthusiastic.

Prior to the congress, Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah 2005-2015, discussed "fresh blood" to be included in the Central Leadership Board of Muhammadiyah. However, the issue is only a glimpse of discourse that does not really have an impact. Likewise in responding to the 2024 Election, which is often asked about by journalists. The answer is almost unanimous in tone that Muhammadiyah is "critical loyal" to the government. Perhaps this is another consequence of a peaceful democracy.

AHMAD NAJIB BURHANI, Research professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN)

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.

https://www.kompas.id/baca/english/2022/12/11/the-peaceful-democracy

Demokrasi yang Damai

 ANALISIS BUDAYA

Demokrasi yang Damai

Muhammadiyah menjalankan proses demokrasi dalam pemilihan pimpinannya dengan adem-ayem, tenang, dan damai. Tidak ada kampanye dari masing-masing calon karena basis pemilihannya adalah prestasi-prestasi sebelumnya.

Oleh

AHMAD NAJIB BURHANI

Kompas, 10 Desember 2022 05:29 WIB·5 menit baca

SALOMO TOBING

Ahmad Najib Burhani

Budaya berdemokrasi kita, terutama dalam pemilihan umum, kadang diwarnai dengan intrik-intrik, polarisasi, dan perkelahian. Justru ketika kondisinya adem-ayem, tanpa konflik, dan berjalan lancar, maka itu dipandang sebagai sesuatu yang tak lumrah. Bahkan ada tendensi untuk mencurigai sistem pemilihan pimpinan yang tak disertai kesengitan sebagai direkayasa atau tak demokratis.

Dalam pemilu, termasuk pemilihan pimpinan ormas, money politics seperti sesuatu yang lazim terjadi. Koper-koper berisi uang cash, perputaran uang dari tim sukses ke berbagai utusan yang hadir, aksi borong kamar hotel oleh calon tertentu, janji dan iming-iming pemberian tiket dan akomodasi kepada pemilih agar mengarahkan suaranya pada calon tertentu adalah cerita-cerita yang sering didapatkan dari muktamar, termasuk yang dilakukan oleh ormas Islam.

Belum lagi dengan perang spanduk, banner, poster/flyer, umbul-umbul, dan baliho di arena Muktamar. Kadang, begitu kita memasuki kota tempat berlangsungnya muktamar, nuansa dan aroma perang udara melalui baliho besar sudah bisa dirasakan. Kota seperti terkepung dengan foto dari wajah-wajah mereka yang mencalonkan diri sebagai pimpinan ormas tertentu. Begitu masuk waktunya pemilihan, berbagai drama dan kegaduhan pun terjadi. Kadang hingga berdarah-darah dengan adu jotos, lempar kursi, dan berbagai keonaran lain.

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Apa yang terjadi di Muktamar Muhammadiyah ke-48 di Surakarta, 18-20 November 2022 adalah warna yang berbeda dari sebuah proses pemilihan pimpinan. Ormas modernis terbesar di Indonesia ini menjalankan proses demokrasi dalam pemilihan pimpinannya dengan adem-ayem, tenang, dan damai. Tidak ada kampanye dari masing-masing calon karena basis pemilihannya adalah track-record atau prestasi-prestasi yang dicapai oleh masing-masing calon dalam periode kepengurusan sebelumnya. Bukan semata janji-janji manis menjelang pemilihan. Calon yang terlihat terlalu agresif justru kadang kehilangan dukungan. Demokrasi yang dijalankan berbasiskan pada civic culture, dimana pemimpin dan yang dipimpin memiliki sikap saling percaya dan menghormati.

Proses pemilihan yang berlangsung di Edutorium Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) pada Sabtu (19/11) itu juga berlangsung sangat cepat karena menggunakan sistem e-voting. Dari 2.713 peserta yang memiliki hak suara, 2519 orang menggunakannya. Mereka adalah 14 anggota PP Muhammadiyah, 174 utusan Pimpinan Wilayah Muhammadiyah, 2.504 utusan Pimpinan Daerah Muhammadiyah, dan 21 utusan Organisasi Otonom Muhammadiyah. Seluruhnya dilaksanakan kurang dari empat jam. Tepat pukul 11.43, seluruh proses pemilihan telah selesai.

Dengan persetujuan PP Muhammadiyah, pengumuman hasil pemilihan ditayangkan di videotron besar di auditorium tepat pukul 00.00. Terpilihlah 13 pimpinan baru Muhammadiyah yang memimpin organisasi ini untuk periode 2022-2027. Mereka adalah Haedar Nashir, Abdul Mu’ti, Anwar Abbas, Busyro Muqoddas, Hilman Latief, Muhadjir Effendy, Syamsul Anwar, Agung Danarto, Saad Ibrahim, Syafiq A Mughni, Dadang Kahmad, Ahmad Dahlan Rais, dan Irwan Akib. Tiga belas orang ini lantas memilih Haedar Nashir dan Abdul Mu’ti sebagai Ketua Umum dan Sekretaris Umum Pimpinan Pusat Muhammadiyah.

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Proses penjaringan calon pimpinan dilakukan jauh-jauh hari sebelum Muktamar. Dimulai dengan penyebaran formulir ke berbagai daerah di Indonesia. Mereka yang memenuhi syarat bisa mengajukan diri menjadi calon pimpinan dengan mengisi formulir tersebut. Pada tahap awal terkumpul 216 kandidat. Setelah melalui proses seleksi administratif, angka itu berkurang menjadi 126 kandidat.

Dari 126 nama ini, setelah melalui berbagai proses, 92 nama lantas di bawa ke sidang Tanwir yang merupakan forum rapat pimpinan tertinggi kedua setelah Muktamar. Pada saat Tanwir yang dilangsungkan tepat sebelum Muktamar, berbagai utusan yang hadir memilih 39 nama dari 92 nama yang tersedia. Di forum Muktamar, dipilihkan 13 nama dari 39 nama yang ada. Itulah tahapan-tahapan pemilihan pimpinan di Muhammadiyah. Tidak bisa seseorang tiba-tiba mencalonkan diri karena semata punya uang atau nama.

Sistem e-voting yang dipakai dalam Muktamar ke-48 ini dalam bentuk sederhana sudah mulai dibangun pada Muktamar ke-47 di Makassar tahun 2015. Ketika itu teknologi voting itu baru dipakai untuk perhitungan hasil pemilihan, sementara pemilihannya masih dilangsungkan secara manual. Kali ini sistemnya sudah selesai dan proses pemilihan hingga perhitungan dilakukan dengan satu sistem teknologi. Seluruh peserta Muktamar yang memiliki hak pilih mendapatkan token dengan QR code.

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Pada saat pemilihan, mereka akan bergantian memasuki bilik suara yang berjumlah lebih dari 20 bilik di ruang sidang. Mereka akan men-scan QR code dalam token dan secara otomatis di layar monitor yang ada di bilik pemilihan akan muncul 39 nama-nama kandidat pimpinan Muhammadiyah. Mereka harus memilih 13 nama dari 39 nama tersebut, tidak boleh kurang atau lebih. Begitu selesai memilih, mereka perlu menekan tombol “submit” untuk menyelesaikan pemilihan. Begitu tombol itu ditekan, maka akan tercetak hasil pemilihannya dan sekaligus menunjukkan bahwa proses pemilihan telah berhasil.

Apa makna e-voting ini bagi warga Muhammadiyah? Literasi digital dan melakukan migrasi dan adaptasi segara digital. Sistem ini tidak hanya membuat proses pemilihan berlangsung cepat dan efektif, tapi juga membangun perilaku dan kesadaran digital bagi warga Muhammadiyah. Memang biayanya masih mahal, tapi inilah biaya yang harus dibayar untuk alih teknologi dan membangun kesadaran digital di masyarakat.

Hal yang barangkali tak tampak dalam demokrasi di Muhammadiyah kali ini adalah berbagai warna “ideologis” yang membentuk warga persyarikatan selama ini. Semuanya tampak seragam, tak terlihat yang memiliki kecenderungan salafi, liberal, konservatif, tradisional, nasionalis, atau kecenderungan ideologis lainnya. Warna Yogya, Jawa Tengah, Jakarta, atau Jawa Timur yang biasa berebut pengaruh dalam pemilihan juga sunyi. Ini barangkali yang membuat sebagian melihat proses pemilihan pimpinan di Muktamar kali ini bersifat datar, kurang greget, dan kurang heboh.

Sebelum Muktamar, Din Syamsuddin, Ketua Umum Muhammadiyah 2005-2015, sempat mewacanakan tentang “darah segar” untuk masuk dalam pimpinan pusat Muhammadiyah. Namun isu hanya menjadi wacana sekilas yang tak terlalu memiliki pengaruh. Demikian pula dalam menanggapi Pemilu 2024 yang sering ditanyakan oleh wartawan. Nyaris nada jawabannya seragam, bahwa Muhammadiyah bersikap “loyal kritis” terhadap pemerintah. Mungkin ini konsekuensi lain dari sebuah demokrasi yang damai.

Ahmad Najib Burhani

Profesor Riset di Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN)

https://www.kompas.id/baca/opini/2022/12/09/demokrasi-yang-damai