The Obligation of Intellectual Roshanfekr in Democratic Space

Roshanfekr is defined by Ali Syariati as “Enlightened Intellectual”

Picture taken from source

“And let there be [arising] from you a nation inviting to [all that is] good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful” – (Ali Imran 3: 104)

A Flawed Democracy

Among the arguments of the anti-democracy group is that democracy grants rights for unwise leaders to make amends shunning the intellectuals. According to them, intellectuals are small in number; the society is populated by those who are ignorant and politically illiterate.

In a democratic space determining who holds power and position, it is natural for the less politically educated people to be dominant provided that the myriad numbers of people in society are less learned men.

This is a prevailing reality as the “One person, one vote” system determines the direction of the majority voice in the election. Thus for the anti-democracy, this system is flawed.

If we were to analyze the argument, the rebuttal for those advocating the idea is “The scenario brought forth does not resonate with the true democratic system.”

Democracy is not only and only the process of determining a majority voice, and not confined by exercising the rights of voting once in five years. What is more to the democratic framework is the process of decision making (either through election or referendum) that must be clean, transparent and credible. On top of that, the decision making committee must be of those with undeniable integrity and trusted by the rakyat.

However, what is more crucial is the decision made by the rakyat must be based on a process of well-substantiated line of reasoning, impartial, free-will, free from stupidity and deception from any parties. In addition, democracy in politics does not seize with the end of the general election, following the electoral results, which government chosen, which ministers selected are to be monitored by rakyat.

Without the bigger picture in aforementioned in democracy, such democratic system is far from merited as democracy but serves as a mere “pseudo-democracy.”

Hence, in the implementation of democracy, the process of decision making by the rakyat must be preceded by elements of informational freedom, media freedom, mechanism for rakyat to monitor the decisions made and access for them to rectify if there happen to be mistakes in the made decisions.

The concept of accountability of the selected operatives before the rakyat is an important element of democracy. This is crucial to avoid injustice done under the name of tyranny of majority of those given the mandate to govern by the rakyat. In addition, the mechanism of decision making shall be counted as democracy only when transparency is in the decision making process, implementation process and concluded verdict.

All the above-mentioned mechanisms are not worth the title democracy without an unbiased freedom of speech to voice opinions and arguments among all the parties involved in the decision making process either in political governance or in citizenship.

The Role of Intellectuals

In order to achieve the implementation of such democracy, democracy has to be backed by a democratic education system. A democratic education system is a system enlightening its people to recognize and appreciate rights and responsibilities as a good citizen. At this juncture, intellects should play their role in educating the society in realizing their rights and responsibilities as an independent citizen.

From this point on, in a sound democracy, intellectuals are to be given the platform to educate and shape the ideology of the rakyat. Their intellects are not to be stocked in some institutional elitist groups and the rakyat on the streets are left without guidance.

Their scholarships are not limited as assets of wealth and forget their responsibility and accountability to shape the rakyat’s way of thinking to be rational and intellectual. As once said by Antonio Gramsci, a thinker from Italy, intellectuals should be “organic intellectuals” loyal to the truth and unfazed by the influence of the government, regime, colonizers and even corporatists.

The stand of the respected and the intellectuals should side with the truth backed by universal values.

In the democratic system, the revered and intellectuals should play a proactive role in educating the masses not to revel in their status as scholars and bemused in trancelike intellectual sophistication. Their time should be vested in educating and correcting the way of thinking of the rakyat in decision making. Their failure to play their role only will benefit the ignorant to take advantage of the masses and create a flawed, bebal and bigoted way of thinking as their basis of decision making.

In the reality of media full of discrimination and hegemony by a regime restricting impartial voice for all involved parties in the decision making process, intellectuals have to be the savior. The process of stupidization of the rakyat through the mainstream media and public space has to be counteracted by the intellectuals. They have to stand up and be in offense mode rejecting the insult to the rakyat’s mindset and actions.

Intellectuals vs Academics

Time is of the essence. Intellectuals have to make their hyperactive moves in bringing forth the ideology of justice and humanity in alternative online and offline media. Either at the individual level or collective level, either in print or online media, intellectuals ought to step foot in educating, urging and appealing to the masses to get out from the thinking capacity of captive minds of morons and idiots. Nurturing the young as the future “kings” in the available political spaces.

If intellectuals seize from advocating what is needed, the morons and idiots shall be dominant and triumphant in their efforts of the rakyat’s bebalization.

Criticism from the public may arise saying that intellectuals cannot be biased and have to be neutral. The words of Iranian thinker Ali Syari’ati are sufficient in enlightening the role of intellectual roshanfekr as different as a normal academia:

A roshanfekrs are not to be the same as academics. An academic search for information, a roshanfekr searches for truth. Academics substantiate facts to state what it is but roshanfekr evaluates the facts and state how it should be. Academics speak in a universal language whereas roshanfekr – like messengers – speaks in the language of his people. Academics are neutral in their line of work, roshanfekrs are to embroil themselves in ideology.

As a conclusion, if the intellectuals and revered play their role as a roshanfekr, the issue of idiots dominating popular thinking outweighing the intellectuals in decision making will seize to exist. The question is, are the public spaces and mainstream media giving freedom for the revered roshanfekr to voice out their opinions to shape the rakyat’s way of thinking?

If no, then it is on the shoulders of the revered, the intellectuals and roshanfekrs to stand up utilizing the possible spaces to persuade the rakyat to stand up for change for a more democratic environment. To wait and see others do the job will end up fruitless and futile. It is time for the young roshanfekrs to stand and ignite change.

Translated and edited from Dr. Maszlee Malik’s “Risalah Pemuda Muslim” article entitled “Peranan Intelek Rausyan Fikir Dalam Ruang Demokrasi”.

 

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