|
|
Continuing The Voice, Building Alternative for Development |
|
|
|
In the beginning of the new millenium, a hope for democratic society bloomed in Indonesia. As social and political changes carried over by 1998 Reform and local autonomy policy in 1999, hope for a better life sprung in the heart of Indonesians. The term “better life” does not refer to welfare or primary need sufficiency alone, it also refers to acknowledgement of human dignity, the chance to involve in steering the course of the country.
Many people want to take active part in developing this country. It is not only for euphoria or impulsive passion in the midst of long crisis they endure since 1997. It is because they see that development approach applied by government was a failure. Weak and corrupt government, frail economical foundation and social culture of society at that time proved the failure. Public hoped there would be doors that let them participate equally in deciding which course this country should take.
When the hope for public participation blew so strong, PATTIRO began its path. PATTIRO wants to involve actively and contribute to make this hope come true. PATTIRO sees that there are two approaches to reach it. First approach is approaching the people in order to empower and educate them. Hopefully, it would grow the necessary potential to participation inside the people. The second approach is getting into and attempt to influence the system. To influence means to suggest alternatives to renew public decision-making system. PATTIRO began with the first approach in 2000. Two years later, PATTIRO started to take the second approach without leaving the first one. Until today, people capacity strengthening walks along with advocacy effort to change thew existing public decision-making system.
Year 2004 was a period when PATTIRO moved from “beyond system advocacy effort” to “changing system advocacy effort”. PATTIRO tried to strengthen its influence in order to change local puclic decision-making system. In doing so, PATTIRO seeks and provides new alternatives of public decision-making system which is open to public participation. PATTIRO offers public decion-makers those alternatives to be applied. PATTIRO’s effort moves from being civic-forum education and facilitation providers to stakeholder networking and political advocacy effort.
There is a reason behind this alter advocacy model. Citizens’ voice should be turned into an important part of public decision. There is no point of yelling outside the system, it will not change anything. From noise to voice, that is the hope which leads PATTIRO’s effort. Restlessness, uproar and energy of those who are marginalized from development’s priority are useless if they are transferred into anger only. This noise, if one call mass rally or demonstration, is not enough to promote change in Indonesia. Experience of previous years prove it. Those who hold power in this country know exactly how to use people’s rage for their own interest. PATTIRO attempts to transfer that rage into a new positive energy, something called: Solution. A voice! Voice that can solve problems.
Based on that idea, in year 2004 PATTIRO carried out some agendas to help assisted community find solution of their problems. There are some issues to concern, namely: participation in public policy-making (local regulation), women participation in local budgeting, public services for the poor, participation room in legislation process, and women’s political rights strengthening in General Election 2004.
Agenda of citizen participation in public policy-making was a follow up of previous program, civic forum capacity strengthening program, which has been carried out since 2000. On previous programs, PATTIRO emphasized on process, such as process of assisting civic forums, citizen participation capacity strengthening, and citizens’ problem and initiatives observation. While in year 2004, PATTIRO focused more on aiming the result, which is the ratification of citizens’ initiatives into local regulation. Unfortunately, there were many obstruction, such as General Election, which delayed our achievement. However in most of Program’s areas, we have successfully raised some issues of our advocacy effort to become public issues. Government policies, although not in the form of local regulations, also served to solve problems concerning those issues.
Agenda of women participation in local budgeting was a follow up of women participation strengthening in public policy-making, a program carried out since 2001. At the beginning, this program was meant to facilitate and strengthen women/women civic forum involvement in every room of public participation. For instance, women involvement in kelurahan discussion forums. In year 2004, Program was improved to emphasize gender budget advocacy effort, along with women groups in local level.
On public services issue, PATTIRO carried out a program to find complaint mechanism model on public services which is affordable for poor consumers, particularly women. PATTIRO wants to strengthen voice mechanism for poor consumers who find public services dissatisfying but find no choice but to accept it. In this program, cooperative approach between citizens and government was important.
To push the door for public participation in legislation, PATTIRO conducted a research on legislation function in national/local Legislative Assembly (DPR/DPRD). PATTIRO conducted this research with Local and National Legislation Reform Coalition. This research was meant to find out whether structure, function and capacity of DPR/DPRD are conducive to public participation in legislation (regulation/law proposal) process. Beside conducting research, PATTIRO also encouraged the creation of Legislation Body/Committee that plays as a door to let regulation proposals from public initiatives.
Before General Election 2004, PATTIRO also gave political education specifically for women. It aimed at letting women reason to make their choice. At that time, PATTIRO also encouraged political contract with many women politicians. The contract stated that they must fight for women interest when they are elected.
In all of its activities, beside being facilitator of democratization process originated from citizens, PATTIRO often had to be directly involved as actor. Involvement in various political process, whether in negotiation, cooperation or adversity process, is inevitable when it comes to public empowerment. New political power emerged in General Election 2004 who came from educated youth provide wider room for PATTIRO to develop cooperation approach in its advocacy effort. PATTIRO tries to offer various alternatives of public participation in order to improve the condition of society.
In all of its work, PATTIRO gained support from various sources, such as mass organizations, student organizations, scholars, the press, public figures, political parties, local assembly and government. In this occasion, we would like to thank for all these supports. We would also like to thank Ford Foundation, The Asia Foundation, Tifa Foundation, Australia Agency for International Development (AusAID) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their cooperation in citizen strengthening in Indonesia.
|
|
|
Noise (kegaduhan) dalam bentuk protes warga serta aksi massa, tidak cukup untuk mendorong perubahan di Indonesia.; Energi sosial berbentuk keresahan, kecewaan dan tindak kekerasan warga akibat tersisih dalam pembangunan, sering kali dimanfaatkan kelompok penguasa sumberdaya yang tidak menginginkan perubahan terjadi. PATTIRO berusaha memfasilitasi transformasi Noice ini menjadi Voice (suara) berupa opsi-opsi solusi; di dalamnya mengandung ikhtiar penyelesaian masalah untuk ditawarkan kepada penentu kebijakan |
|
|
Maaf, situs kami sedang dalam proses perawatan. Beberapa content mungkin tidak tampil sebagaimana mestinya atau tidak sesuai dengan yang anda inginkan. |
|
|
Sorry, our site is under maintenance. Some content may be not visible in the right place. |
|
|
|