GUSDURian Network Director Alissa Wahid urged the government to be wise and involve the public in formulating tax and other policies to avoid causing unrest in society.
"Government policies are made without sufficient research. The people's voices are increasingly suppressed, leading to various forms of resistance, ranging from simply fleeing or a dark Indonesia," Alissa said in a statement.
This is important to do so as not to cause major unrest in the community as happened in Pati which increased the Rural and Urban Land and Building Tax (PBB-P2) by 250 percent, which was then followed by a similar demonstration in Bone, South Sulawesi, opposing the local government's policy of increasing the PBB-P2 by 400 percent.
Alissa emphasized that in a democracy, the people's voices must be heard and involved, both in decision-making and policy implementation. This situation is a serious concern for GUSDURian, particularly to anticipate the potential weakening of civil sovereignty.
"Democracy can only stand if civilian sovereignty remains strong. If civilian power is under military control, the people's voice will never be paramount," he said.
In addition to strengthening democracy, the upcoming Tunas GUSDURian will also discuss ecology.
Alissa explained that globally, the world is facing a climate crisis. In Indonesia, this situation is exacerbated by extractive industries that still operate with a power-based approach. As a result, indigenous communities are being marginalized and ecosystems are being severely damaged.
