A new Indonesian party has adopted Greens policies, Janet Rice reports from Jakarta. With supporters across the archipelago, the next challenge will be transforming Gema Bangsa into a genuinely participatory democracy project.
I was in Jakarta last month as the representative of the Australian Greens to attend the party declaration and launch of Gema Bangsa, a new Indonesian political party. Gema Bangsa has been setting itself up over the last year, with a platform focussed on decentralising and devolving decision making, and of wresting control away from the oligarchs.
Gema Bangsa means ‘Echo of the Nation’, and their overarching platform is ‘Mandari Di Negeri Sendiri- Independent in one’s own country’, and ‘Indonesia reborn’.
And they certainly knew how to do a political party launch!
Five thousand people in the Jakarta Convention Centre
Flashy Gema Bangsa branding everywhere
Signs, backdrops for photos, and so much merch!
Flags, uniforms, badges, hats
Most of the attendees were wearing a Gema Bangsa shirt, other than the party chairs from each province who were in traditional dress
It was clear as we arrived at the Convention Centre that this was big.
People swarming everywhere. Placards lining the entrance road from supporters across the country wishing the party Selamat dan Sukses
My host was Ade Zuchri from Sarekat Hijau Indonesia, one of the two Greens parties in Indonesia who have formed an alliance with Gema Bangsa. As part of this alliance, Gema Bangsa have adopted the SHI policy platform, so have a suite of Greens policies to guide their work.
Ade is now one of the Committee Chairs, responsible for Gema Bangsa policy and activities related to sustainability and agriculture.
Ade and I soon found the VIP room for lunch where I was warmly welcomed by party leaders including the Chair and General Secretary.
Inside the conference centre we kicked off with upbeat MCs and then it was into a sound and light and action extravaganza!
Incredible digital graphics and lighting. A sound system that really pumped!
Music from a famous band, fabulous dance routines, Gema Bangsa songs, performances of the Gema Bangsa march and the Gema Bangsa hymns – chosen from public completion with serious prize money attached.
The serious bit started with prayers and preaching, and then moved onto introducing all the provincial chairs and committee chairs with pomp and ceremony and a striking digital display.
Then speeches, which my Bahasa wasn’t up to understanding, interspersed with some gorgeous videos featuring beautiful environments and ordinary people talking about why they are supporting Gema Bangsa
And finishing up with a really hot singer Ghea Youbi getting everyone up on their feet.
Gema Bangsa most definitely has arrived!
I was also invited to attend and speak at a dinner in the evening with party leaders from across the country, where I spoke of my background with the Greens in Australia as one of the founders of the party and a Senator for ten years, and my involvement with the Global Greens and the Asia Pacific Greens Federation, supporting Greens parties to grow and particularly supporting women’s involvement in Green politics. I spoke about how we aim to have power in our parliaments so we can share that power with the community, believing in power with, not power over.
I spoke about our commitment to participatory democracy, to people having a say, whether that’s our members who decide our policy platform or the communities we represent. How we knock on doors and have conversations with voters – and listen to them, not just talk at them. And how if you listen to voters, so often what they want is Greens policy – clean air and water, high quality public healthcare, education , transport, affordable housing, not having their homes and lives turned upside down by fires and floods because of the climate crisis.
I finished by encouraging Gema Bangsa to join the Global Greens. If they do, they will be a very significant player.
However, joining the Global Greens isn’t just a matter of ticking a box.
Parties have to commit to promote and defend the Global Greens charter.
And in particular they have to commit to ‘operate in a non-discriminatory, democratic and open manner with clear rules and procedures; and to have internal practices that ‘adopt and put into practice.. the democratic principles we seek in broader society, act[ing] as a model of participatory democracy in our own internal organisation[s] at all levels, and ‘show leadership in establishing policies guaranteeing transparent and decentralised structures, so that political power and opportunity is extended to all members; and ‘avoid sources of finance that conflict with our vision and values’.
So it’s a matter of both policy and process. At the moment as a new party Gema Bangsa haven’t got those democratic structures and processes in place. Decisions have been made by the self appointed founders of the party, with the understandable and noble intent of getting the organisation off the ground. They’ve got the basic bones of party leadership and committees in each of the 38 Indonesian provinces, from Aceh to West Papua, and a commitment of devolving decision making to the provinces. They have people all over the country as was evidenced at the launch who are keen and have been putting a lot of hard work in to get the party off the ground.
But to me what’s now needed is empowering those members. Giving them a say in determining party policies and decisions and who their candidates for election are going to be.
I hope they do. As I concluded in my speech at the dinner, I am excited by the potential of Gema Bangsa becoming part of the Global Greens family in over 100 countries across the world. It will be great to work with them to share successes and challenges, as they build Gema Bangsa into a political force to be reckoned with in Indonesia, as part of a global political movement with people and the planet at its heart.
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Janet Rice, a community activist and facilitator, recently retired from the federal parliament. Janet Rice has been a passionate campaigner for justice, people, and the planet for more than 30 years. She took her seat as a Greens Senator for Victoria in 2014. A climate scientist by training, Janet began her working life campaigning to protect forests. She was part of the 1983 Franklin River Blockade and a leader of the campaign that resulted in the creation of the Errinundra National Park in East Gippsland. Within a decade, she was a founding member of the Greens in Victoria. Janet was the party spokesperson for LGBTIQ+ issues, family, ageing and community affairs, forests, foreign affairs, and multiculturalism, serving as the Federal Greens’ Party Room Chair and, in Parliament, Janet as the Chair of the Community Affairs References Committee.
Feature images courtesy of Janet Rice and Gema Bangsa. An earlier version of the article was published in Janet’s substack as Selamat dan sukses.