::The ‘Invisible Ghost’ Called ‘Modernization’::

Karno B. Batiran

Prolog

I remember one day on my childhood when I saw my mother changed her sewing tools from the manual one to an electric sewing machine and she said gladly ‘now we have a ‘modern’ tool for sewing…’ without any attention to the word of ‘modern’ at that time, I just forget about that after sometime I joined her celebrating her happiness owning a new instrument that I thought will help her much on her works and she did not need to be weary her legs anymore pedaling the manual sewing instrument.

Then several years ago when the first time I went to a remote village in Sulawesi, I recalled one of the farmer told me a story about the change of the farming techniques and practices that has been happened at the village. He used the word ‘modern’ to address the hand tractor machine which have replaced the role of cows and horses, to address the using of spraying tools and efficacious of chemical for pesticide instead of tobaccos or other bio-traditional ingredients, also used the word ‘modern’ to address the technical irrigation system that has been enabled them to plant two or three times a year, and to address the using of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer instead of the cow dunk or bamboo leaves, as well as to address the using of supreme seeds which have been doubled or tripled or quadrupled the harvest instead of local seeds. It was sounds happy, fun and helpful for him and the whole village.

At my hometown, in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, we can easily found an advertisement of a real estate or housing spot around the town which is near to everything (near to shopping mall, offices, amusement spots, etc) saying ‘enjoy the ‘modern’ living bla…bla…bla…bla…bla…bla…’.

All those were using ‘modern’ on their certain sense. I assume my mother used it in the sense of it was a new machine different with and replaced the manual one and would make her works easier; accordingly, modern, for her, meant easiness. The farmer use it at the sense of it had been more prosperous with such ‘modern’ stuff head-to-head with the traditional stuff as the opposite which also implied something better. While the last one used the ‘modern’ word in the sense that modern living will be easier with the instant access and fast movement to one place to another place; therefore the modern at this sense means instant living. However all those assumptions have been implying that the modern is something that replaces something which is better from the one that have been replaced. It is corresponding with the characteristics of the modern society that have been echoed by the expert, one of the characteristics of the modern people is the willingness and openness to receive something new, in other word the modern people is innovative.

Anyway, the topic ‘modern’, ‘modernization’, ‘modernism’ have been a hot topic for the last, at least, three centuries, from the beginning of the modernization which was marked by the renaissance and industry revolution, with industrialization as the milestone on 18^th century to the very contemporary world which is still discussing the modernization, in some extend criticize it, like the post-modernism schools have been doing. The discussions range from the ideological dimension, science (ontological and epistemological) dimension, to the most practical dimension. Debates have been also taking place from the supporters of the idea to the people who criticize it.

Context

The How is the Modernization in Indonesia?

Beginning

As I mention in the title of this article, the modernization just like an ‘invisible ghost’, what I mean by it is that it is an abstract thing which can be only seen or recognized by the symptoms which have been coming along with the modernization such as, what I have said previously, the change of farming practices, etc , as well as the progresses that have been achieving during the development process which are claimed as the modernization logic consequences, since the development (economic growth via industrialization) of is one of the main agenda of the modernization, such as the growth of industry and the development of the infrastructures (road, electricity facilities), as well as the schooling system .

I cannot recall, neither find a comprehensive document record of when the modernization was starting in Indonesia, however I assume, it was starting from the Dutch colonialism era, Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch starting on the 17^th centuries, historian said it was starting 1602 – to 1945 (the year of the independent declaration of Republic of Indonesia). In this sense I associate the modernization era with the beginning of influence of the Europe society via colonization, because before, Indonesia people already been contacting with other world (China, Arabian, etc) through trading, but with not hegemony, unlike the colonial which came with their values and influenced the existing local-native Indonesian values.

Massive process of modernization

I will not go too far to the history, now let’s look to the main part of the time when the modernization process is happening massively in Indonesia. It has been started progressively after the second decade of the independence of Indonesia, late ninety sixties. At the time we just started the development after the independence and after several rebellions done by some separatist group, such as Indonesian Islamic and some other groups. And what happened at the time? Indonesian was starting the development in any sectors, politics (the establishment of political system), economy, agriculture, industry (the discovery of oil, gold, coal mining).

What is Impact of the Modernization to the Country?

As we know that the main agenda of the modernization is the progress and transformation toward industrialized society. Characteristic of modern society are (1). At the economics dimension is that the massive growing of the complex industry in which the production and the production means of consumption goods are produced massively; (2) in politics, it says that the modern economy need the well state society and well integrated. It also claimed the modernization is the process to more welfare society trough the application of sciences and technology innovation to the practical life of humankind.