NGOs in the Public Sphere: Religious Pluralism Discourse and Interreligious Collaboration for Deliberative Democracy in Indonesia's Post-Reform Era

Sung Min Kim, Prof. Dr. JB. Banawiratma; Dr. Dicky Sofjan

2021 | Disertasi | DOKTOR INTER-RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Pluralisme agama merupakan salah satu elemen dasar yang harus dijamin untuk pembangunan masyarakat sipil yang demokratis. Terutama dalam kondisi keberagaman etnis, budaya dan agama seperti Idnonesia, sangatlah penting utnuk membangun relasi antar agama yang damai dan kooperatif di mana hak-hak kelompok minoritas dilindungi, kesatuan nasional dipertahankan dan mayarakat sipil yang demokratis dapat berkembang. Terlepas dari banyaknya situasi buruk seperti konflik kekerasan akibat permusuhan agama, meluasnya pengaruh fundamentalisme dan konservatisme dan serangan sistematis teroris, terdapat LSM-LSM lintas agama seperti Interfidei dan YPLAG yang menyadari signifikansi pluralisme agama dan mengerahkan berbagai upaya untuk mempromosikannya sebagai keadaan mendasar bagi terpeliharanya keberagaman budaya dan pemantapan demokrasi. Kajian ini berfokus pada LSM-LSM lintas agama dan peran publik mereka dalam memerangi tumbuhnya intoleransi dengan cara berinteraksi dengan orang-orang dari berbagai latar agama yang berbeda melalui diskusi, pendidikan, dan kegiatan-kegiatan kerja sama bagi resolusi konflik. Pertanyaan pokok yang diajukan adalah bagaimana LSM lintas agama ini mengkomunikasikan gagasan pluralisme agama untuk pertumbuhan demokrasi deliberatif di Indonesia pasca era Reformasi. Penelitian ini menggugat pandangan Habermas terkait peran agama di ruang publik yang mengkalim terbatasnya nalar keagamaan di ranah publik dengan menganggap bahwa agama dapat menjadi sumber klaim validitas suatu argumen politik tertentu. Penelitian ini mengusut arah landasan filosifis LSM-LSM tersebut yang tertuang dalam visi dan kegiatannya. Pengamatan dan wawancara partisipan serta tinjauan pustaka terhadap LSM-LSM itu menunjukkan bahwa kegiatan-kegiatan LSM-LSM tersebut tidak hanya sebatas menormalisasi hubungan antar agama tetapi juga berusaha untuk membangun legitimasi bagi ide pluralisme agama sebagai platform umum yang melampaui kepentingan pribadi politik dan teologis agama tertentu, melainkan marangkul semua kelompok agama dan mengembangkan solidaritas nasional. LSM-LSM lintas agama telah berkontribusi menggairahkan diskusi publik tentang beragam isu sosial seperti hak asasi manusia, pendidikan, dan resolusi konflik agar orang-orang dapat menghadapi isu-isu tersebut secara demokratis. Keyakinan agama memberikan motivasi dan rasa tanggung jawab yang besar bagi aktivis-aktivis LSM untuk mengejar kerukunan antar agama dan keadilan sosial. Mereka mengkomunikasikan kebutuhan akan dialog kepada orang dari berbagai tingkat pendidikan, agama dan latar belakang etnis meskipun persepsi tentang plurasime agama berbeda satu sama lain. Temuan ini menyajikan sudut pandang alternatif menyangkut peran publik agama dalam melegitimasi dialog dan kerja sama lintas agama sebagai sebuah elemen yang diperlukan untuk mempertahankan solidaritas nasional dan konsolidasi demokrasi. LSM-LSM lintas agama berkontribusi pada pengembangan demokrasi musyawarah melalui vitalisasi ruang publik, penggunaan nalar agama secara publik dalam menangani konflik dan pembentukan jaringan sipil, pendidikan dan aliansi untuk menyebarkan pluralisme agama sebagai nilai demokrasi.

Religious pluralism is one of the basic elements that must be secured for the development of a democratic civil society. Especially in ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse societies like Indonesia, it is essential to construct peaceful and cooperative interreligious relations by which the rights of minority groups are protected, national unity is maintained and a democratic civil society may flourish. Despite many negative circumstances such as violent conflicts caused by religious hostility, the expanded influence of fundamentalism and conservatism, and the systematized terrorist attacks, there are interreligious NGOs such as Interfidei and YPLAG which recognize the significance of religious pluralism and are making efforts to promote it as a basic condition for the preservation of cultural diversity and democratic consolidation. This study is concerned with these NGOs and their public role in fighting against the growth of intolerance by interacting with people of diverse religions through discussion, education, and cooperative activities for conflict resolution, etc. The central question is how these interreligious NGOs communicate the notion of religious pluralism for the growth of deliberative democracy in post-Reform Indonesia. This research challenges Habermas' view on the role of religion in the public sphere that claims limited contribution of religious reason to public affairs by assuming that religious reason cannot be a source of validity claim for a certain political argument. This research examines the NGOs' philosophical direction embedded in their vision and activities. Participant observation and interviews, as well as literature reviews of the NGOs, demonstrate that the NGOs' above activities have not remained in just normalizing interreligious relations but seek to construct legitimacy for the idea of religious pluralism as a common platform that transcends particular religions' theological or political interests but embraces all the religious groups and develop national solidarity. Interreligious NGOs have contributed to invigorating public discussion on various social issues such as human rights, education, and conflict resolution so that people can deal with those issues democratically. Religious conviction gave NGO activists a strong motivation and sense of obligation to pursue interreligious harmony and social justice. They communicated the need for dialogue with people of diverse educational levels, religions, and ethnic backgrounds although their perceptions of religious pluralism are different from one another. The findings offer an alternative viewpoint to the public role of religion in legitimizing interreligious dialogue and cooperation as a necessary element for maintaining national solidarity and democratic consolidation. Interreligious NGOs have contributed to the development of deliberative democracy by the vitalization of the public sphere, the public use of religious reason in dealing with conflicts, and the formation of civic networks, education, and alliances for the proliferation of religious pluralism as a democratic value.

Kata Kunci : NGO, Interreligious Dialogue, Interreligious Collaboration, Deliberative Democracy, Indonesia