From Authoritarian to Democracy in Indonesia: A Costly Fiction of Sustainable Human Security?

Abstract

Empirically successful stories of both authoritarianism and democracy in materializing economic achievement as well as securing political stability may make some people confused in evaluating the two systems, whether they are suitable for humanism or not. There have been contested views on their virtues related to the preservation of human security as one of the most critical aspects of humanism. This study investigates which one of the two existing political regimes is more suitable for the sustainability of secured human security. Relying on the case of Indonesia, which experienced in adopting the two different political regimes, I argue that in the long run democracy is better and conducive for securing sustainable human security than authoritarianism. This study used a qualitative method enriched by diachronic approach. Keywords: authoritarianism; democracy; human security.