Civil society in Indonesia has not been completely realized! With more than 200 million of population spread out over thousand islands, various livelihood, education, economic, tradition and culture, Indonesia has many potential constrains. Access inequality brings many development gaps among its areas, moreover, the economic improvement is merely enjoyed by those who have access. That’s why strengthening civil society is very important. Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta wants to learn it much in a Civil Society training with Let’s Make Synergy and Wake Up for Nation as the theme.
Discussion with ICM (Indonesia Corruption Monitoring) coordinator, Tri Wahyu KH, S.H held on 20th and 28th of November 2012, is the start point of the training series. It opens the participants’ insight about what actually the understanding of civil society is. The civil society training is continued on 7th - 9th of December 2012 in Wisma Sargede Yogyakarta with the participants from different areas and fields of study. This training asks the participants to think about what civil society is and what problems people are facing about. Visiting some social organizations such as Satunama Foundation and Ombudsman Republik Indonesia (ORI) and having group discussion with the representative of Lembaga Ombudsman Swasta (LOS) give comprehension to the participants about civil society and what institution they can complain to if they have dissatisfying public service problems.
Satunama Foundation located on Sendangadi, Mlati, Sleman, is a community based education foundation which assists people, especially in East Indonesia. Ombudsman Republik Indonesia Delegation of D. I. Yogyakarta and Central Java (firstly named Komisi Ombudsman Nasional) is a state institution in Indonesia with authority to control the implementation of public services, held by either government operator or private corporation includes Badan Usaha Milik Negara (BUMN), Badan Usaha Milik Daerah (BUMD), and Badan Hukum Milik Negara (BHMN), which have duty to run certain public services using part or whole fund from APBN (state’s fund) or APBD (region’s fund) as the sources. Lembaga Ombudsman Swasta (LOS) DIY, deputed by Dwi Priyono, S.H. as the member of LOS DIY Cooperation and Society Reinforcement sector, said that LOS works to realize labor implementations which are fair, corruption and nepotism free, authority abuse free.
Process how to make regulation controled by society was explained by Sri Handayani RW, S.H., M.H., lecturer of Law Faculty of Janabadra University Yogyakarta. Participants are asking many questions about steps to design a regulation, how society’s effect to control and give some suggestions to the process, and how the implementation of public hearing between council and civil society.
Some models of civil society reinforcement in many fields are delivered by Dr. Murti Lestari (economic aspect), Dr. Wimmie (Information Technology aspect), Susilo Nugroho or Den Baguse Ngarso (art and culture aspect) and Suparlan from WALHI (environmental aspect).
The final conclusion of civil society in many aspects of reinforcement model is to make skillfull and competent society with inner motivation to be a quantitatively growing society that can be called as high-grade society. ***