The ancient Greek civilizations laid down the primarily pillar of political thoughts in practice of Democracy as we know. But the France’s influence in political practice should be underlined as pillar of the contemporary practice of social institution life in politics in many, until now.
Back to 1789, the French Revolutions laid foundation of contemporary political thoughts and practice through nowadays. After the downfall of French Monarch under Louis XVI, the Droit de l’Homme et Citoyen was born and was a fundamental pillar of the Human Rights. The concept of Trias Politica as separation of power was also introduced in 1749 by Montesquieu that still relevant until now to divide the executive government body to legislativa, and judicial to prevent abuse of power by the governing body and to present the citizen representative. The concept of the metaphor terms of the “wing” was introduced post-French Revolutions on the representative voices, between Rightist (Conservatives, Traditionalist, Pro-Monarch), Leftist (Progressive, Socialist, Revolusionist) and Centrist (Neither both Right or Left).
History of The “Wings”
We often heard under the election circumstances the political ideologies stances that differs one and another. The political ideologies was divided into three: Left, central, and right. And what about the far-left and far-right? Andrew Heywood on his books political ideologies defines the ideologies was much more like horses shoe, the more you are lean to the left or right, the more you are bended into dictatorship of ideologies. The Nazi’s for example is the typical of the ultra-right wing, and The Communist’s was an example of ultra-left wing. They both posess one commonality, ruled under dictatorship.
As social science couldn’t be detached from the history, Back to the history of the political wings, the terms of the wing was founded post French Revolution. The Revolutions divided France deeply into the more popular symbolized as understand in the contemporary political life. France member of national assembly divided between different factions that divided by the seat location and there were three of them at that time. The Girondins, The Jacobins, and The Montagnards.
The Girondins are a symbol of moderate France. Challenging the status quo of the current established government at that time that ruled under the monarch system. The Girondist wants to separate the power from the central government of Paris. (Left Wing)
The Jacobins opposed to the Girondins is the group member of national assembly that applied to the tradition which insist firmly at the central of the governing power. Opposed to the revolutionary tradition, the Jacobins likely to support the monarchist tradition and seeking to return to a hierachical and ordered society under the king. The restoration of monarchy on 1815 marked a political tradition belief of the Right. (Right Wing)
And there was The Montagnards, who mostly the members came and lived in the mountain, sitting on the central of the national assembly. (Centrist)
The three of them were sitting accordingly to their group, as Girondins sat on the left of the national assembly, facing Jacobins on the right side, meanwhile the Montagnards sat on the central.
The current political ideologies are not much different to the France’s old one. On the most of Parliamentary website of many countries, it is differs from the Right Wing scale to the Centrist, and the Left Wing. I somehow wonder to be honest as they were mostly also represent by the tri-colour, as used by the French flag. But it is not so much different as the Right Wing mostly using blue colour, and the Left Wing with red colour, with the centrist using white colour in the most countries.
The Political Ideologies Wing
As mentioned above, this terms was founded back when French Revolution in 1789. The division between right and left was purely divided into two, between revolution and defending status quo. The left and right been used to contrasting attitude in political belief one and another in general. While left-wing ideologies lies on changing or revolutionary, the right-wing insist of defending and resist of changing the status quo.
The Left Wing
The left wing views lies on support act of collectivism and solidarism towards social group. Most of the left wing thinking based on socialism. Socialism vision of a society based on community, equality, and cooperation. As ideologies can be associated to the particular social class of society, the socialism was commonly the ideology of the working class. As industrial societies tend to be solidaristic, they were relatively clear and belief in class division. Between those who’s capital and those who’s labour. As it may seems clear that socialism as ideology is an opposition to capitalism. At the very core of socialism lies human beings as social creature united by their common humanity, which individual characterised by social interaction and the membership of social groups. Socialist prefer cooperation rather than competition which the value of the socialism lies on equality. Which then can be break down the core ideology of socialism to some ideologies that refers to the socialism like communism who usually supported fast changing through revolution to abolish the status quo, and social democrats which lies in the middle of socialism and capitalism. The socialism is not merely the same as communism eventhough based on the same equality principles, until marxist ideology practiced.
The Centre Wing
The centre wing lies on the liberalism principles who’s value from the individual expression and minimum restriction from the government. Liberalism was the ideology of the rising middle class. The words ‘liber’ in the latin reffered to a class of a free men, who neither serfs nor slaves. It is associated as an ideology of freedom and choice that implied an openness or open-mindedness. The core ideas of the liberalism lies on its commitment to the individual and a desire to construct a society which people can satisfy their interest and achieve fulfilment. Liberals believe that human beings for the most part are endowed with the reasons. Each individual should enjoy the maximum as possible of freedom for all. Liberalism reflected the aspirations of the rising middle class whose interests conflicted with the monarch and aristocracy. Liberalism also linked to market and capitalist society. While liberalism value individual, the liberalist has a core key concept on how’s liberalist view towards people, genuinely those who’s divided from the power. The liberalist set of values and beliefs including individualism, freedom, reason, justice, and tolerance. As liberalism against those in absolute power in the monarch and feodalism, for the first time people encouraged to think that every individuals is unique, having their own interest, and posessing personal identity. And there goes after that in accordingly people move to think about their own freedom, their reasons, speaking of inequality in justice, and tolerance towards individual with human rights aspect.
The Right Wing
Contrary to the socialist and liberalist point of view of human, the right wing or as we know the conservatives threat equality as either impossible and undesirable. They tend to defend the status quo of the power in the societies. The conservatives reffers to behaviour that is conventional, conformist, even affraid or refuse in changing. The conservatives terms lied down on the verb to conserve. The conservatism defined by the desire to conserve which reflected in a resistance or supicious of changing. In the political ideology, the conservatism rooted to support of tradition. The conservatism reflected in ancient political life in France during French Revolutions where one’s want a massive changing in political and societies, and one’s want to defend the ancient regime that had occured long within monarch in France. As ideologies of liberalism, socialism, and nationalism growth in France during time period, the ideology of conservatism tries to defend the current established traditional social order. The core thinking of conservatism lies in traditionalism, human imperfection, hierarchy and authority, and property. Traditionalism is the central root of conservatism as tradition reflects their religious faith, traditional customs and practices in social will regarded as God Given. Society was shaped by the natural law of the creator, and those who resist or challenging the will of God considered as a sinner or broken individual. And those who’s in power viewed as voice of the God through the concept called ‘divine rights’.
And how about Indonesia? Do Indonesia recognize the Left and the Right?
As political parties turn their attention for the Presidential election and National Assembly election in first quarter of the last year (2019), Indonesian political parties or societies Indonesia didn’t recognize the division between Left and Right. As Leftist party in Indonesia was abolished during Suharto’s regime, or the limited knowledge of the left only to be taught in the class room of Universities but not practiced based on our national constitution. The censorship of the left thinking either socialism nor communism left Indonesia with single narratives of nationalism on the right, along with the traditional religious party. Political ideology in Indonesia dominated by nationalist-religious parties. No wonder when the Presidential debates either the campaign of the parties for the national assembly left us hanging in the same views on several themes that was submitted by general commission of national election (KPU Indonesia), except in advance technological theme and foreign policy theme by both candidates, the incumbent Joko Widodo and the contender Prabowo Subianto.
The rest argument or the ideas of the different themes?
“Sama… sama…. samaaaa…..” “saya setuju…. saya setuju…. saya setuju…”
As the so called PSI (Partai Solidaritas Indonesia) came to the lobby of the contestation of national assembly chair, at first the branding party of the “millenials” looks promising with their fresh adventorial tv campaign, but unable to come into the power. Interesting to understand that this party has earned vote from the millenials, and Indonesia’s diaspora on foreign country yet unable to achieve the parliamentary threshold limit to 4% (as PSI earned only 2% of national votes). PSI refused to be linked as party of the left which is really confusing statement. As we understand from their logo, the logo itself represents the global socialist party yet PSI using it eventhough they considered themselves not as the party of the left. They considered themselves as social democrats party, which is literally centrist, liberal, who’s focusing on how government control can enable to prosper and giving social welfare to those who needed the most. Yet, not everybody’s buying it. You either die as leftist, or see yourself become rightist (Psstt… PSI is Joko Widodo diehard fans)
As contemporary Indonesian politics was much more the same with the western countries, our country is prone to the hoax and disinformations on the campaign process. Truly, i’d argue that political trends at the moment recipes mixed up between sentimental rethoric, along with fear campaign, with a little bit ingredient of nationalism. Renyah. Somehow, it was argued by Cas Mudde in the book of a very short introduction of Populism. Populist rethoric mixed up between those ingredients. As this trends was started on 2016 with Brexit in UK and Donald Trump election in US, this recipes was then so much easily applicable in many countries, including Indonesia. Cas Mudde argued that Populism is a very thin ideology that provoque sentiment and anger of those who are not in the power, civil society as it means, to be angered to those who’s in power, the current established government. Prabowo Subianto played this card, yet not avail to take advantage of it. As much of Joko Widodo’s weakness on his first presidential term, Prabowo Subianto unable to exploitate the Joko Widodo’s weakness on many issues. The packaging of Prabowo Subianto’s perhaps promising, yet it is not well delivered. If i may suggest, the men behind Prabowo was much less competent to those who’s back up Joko Widodo as Joko Widodo able to deliver and exploitate Prabowo Subianto on presidential campaign. As much as we concern about Joko Widodo’s fail to chose his colleague, yet this move is briliant to respond the sentimental religious card that has been played by Prabowo Subianto from the early campaign, or even before campaign has started.
Sources:
Freeden, Michael; Sargent, Lyman Tower. (2013). The Oxford Handbook of Political Ideologies. Oxford Press.
Heywood, Andrew. (2017). Political Ideologies. Palgrave Macmillan.
Mudde, Cas. (2017). Populism: A very short introduction. Oxford Press
Pasquier, Romain. (2015). Regional Governance and Power in France. Palgrave Macmillan.
Stevens, Anne. (2003). Government and Politics of France. Palgrave Macmillan.
