External and Internal Factors in Democracy's Decline

Factors in the decline of democracy do not only come from external factors but also include internal factors. The external factors accused are populism, neo-liberal capitalism and new communication media, especially social media. Meanwhile, the internal factor that is the problem is the ambiguity of the word demos which refers to power that cannot be controlled, even though democracy is an aspiration or ideal that is determined by guiding standards but is never achieved.

Democracy experiences dynamics of ups and downs so that what emerges is the issue of democracy as a goal (telos). The teleological concept of democracy (democracy as a goal) which then directs itself to the goal to be achieved but which can never be fully achieved.

Unequal Elite Power and Democracy

The decline of democracy is also related to the causes and consequences of unequal elite power. The principle of equal opportunities should not be an influence on justifying ever-widening inequalities in the name of freedom, equality, and solidarity. All three should be able to be developed within the framework of a practical balance of power which should not be separated from the social context of society.

Thus, in the current political problems ahead of the five-yearly simultaneous elections in 2024, political reforms must be carried out immediately and legal reforms must also be immediately improved. The first time in the context of political party reform must be carried out with a more radical approach, namely deconstructing political parties. What is meant by deconstruction is an effort to fundamentally change the structure and culture of political parties.

The hegemony and arrogance of political parties that have persisted for so long must end immediately. Political parties are not states within states that are free from political interference from the state and the people. Political parties are not also superstructures that only have the ambition to regulate all political principles in all areas of life in the social order.

Apart from the deconstruction of political parties, another aspect that needs to be a point of improvement is legal reform which makes legal provisions the starting point for theorizing about law with a wide scope of explanation, not just confined to words, principles, and doctrine. The study of legal substance requires perspectives and methods that are no longer doctrinal legal as a theoretical starting point.

The Role of Law in Society

The law speaks about what is "right", "good", and "appropriate" from the point of view of human language and understanding. Law speaks about humans who create and use the law with all the complexity of their lives. Legal studies necessarily involve all complexities relating to social, cultural, political, and economic matters. Clearly, law stands between two points, namely humans and rules. Therefore, the law must be able to move towards explanation when it touches the struggle point of social human. Legal studies must not be imprisoned in legal-formal cages but must be able to move into its scientific habitat which continuously explains legal realities in a human setting.

The Future of Democracy

By directing democracy in these two directions of political and legal reform, the hardware of democracy cannot be polished simply by imitating or grafting on other countries' democratic models. The ambiguity of the meaning of democracy which in terms of contradiction emphasizes the "demos" (the people) as the foundation for the development of democracy. The fact that democracy has developed recently has declined and is worrying. Society should not be led to an aggregation of opinions that mutually justify and acknowledge each other until they become a general conception of thinking.

The particularity of the assumption is a further basis that should be taken into consideration when evaluating the recent decline in democracy. Various incidents and happenings that occur during ongoing preparations and consolidation for the implementation of the upcoming 2024 elections need to be addressed maturely and not just temporary turmoil that leads to permanent functionalization of democracy and not moving towards developing democracy (developmentalist of democracy). So, after the decision and pronouncement of the Constitutional Court's decision today, is democracy still possible or is it at a worrying level?