Barriers to Internet adoption in Indonesian CSOs

Among many other aspects, this research aims to investigate the barriers to the adoption of the Internet in civil society organisations (CSOs). However, it is not easy to address such a question straightforwardly. To approach this inquiry the survey posed two questions. One question addressed the ‘negative aspects’ caused by the use of ICTs, particularly the Internet, in Indonesian CSOs. The other one addressed the extent to which some factors hampered their Internet use.

The Internet and mobilisation of direct action

Among the strategic uses for the internet that Indonesian CSOs carry out is mobilising direct action. A salient example of this is the campaign against violation of human rights, forced disappearances, repression towards labourers and trade unions and campaigns for promoting gender equality, women’s rights, environment sustainability amongst others. The targets are typically government, companies and military bodies. In general, the campaign is performed by submitting an online protest on the web or circulating the issues through various mailing lists asking for support to pressurise government, parliament, military and/or companies to reconsider their actions.

What are the strategic uses of the Internet in Indonesian CSOs?

The word ‘strategic’ is among the most frequent used terms found in the entire fieldwork of this study. When investigating the strategic areas in which the Internet could be used, interviews, workshops and focus groups were overwhelmed with the term so much so that it is now urgent to understand what it really means in the context of this study. Interviews with Indonesian CSO leaders gives us a hint: Internet use is considered strategic when it addresses certain characteristic related to (i) properties of the tools or means being used; (ii) orientation of action for which the tools are used (iii) issues to which the action is tackling, and (iii) actors who perform and are affected by the action.

IGJ and GJU: Shaping civil society views on globalisation issues

The Institute for Global Justice (IGJ) is a research-based advocacy NGO established in 2001, facilitated by INFID and some individual members of the Indonesian NGOs Monitoring Coalition on World Trade Organisation (Koalisi Ornop Pemantau WTO, or KOP-WTO). Rooted in Indonesian social movement and aimed as a part of global civil society network, IGJ envisions a ‘global justice order through social movements’ and aims to ‘deconstruct globalisation and facilitate social transformation in order to be critical towards globalisation through research, advocacy, education and networking activities’. There are three objectives that IGJ aspires to achieve, i.e. the development of critical awareness of the public about globalisation; the existence of local, national and global policy to protect and to appreciate life values and livelihood and a new world order based on pluralism, diversity, sustainability and justice (IGJ, 2001).

AKATIGA and research for CSOs

AKATIGA Foundation or Yayasan AKATIGA is an independent CSO focusing on social research on problems in rural and urban areas, covering issues on land, labour, small and micro entrepreneurship, including initiatives in social movements. In addition to research, AKATIGA’s activities centre around dissemination of information like publication, documentation and training. The information and analysis are aimed at supporting the development of social discourses as well as to endorse empowerment and advocacy conducted by grass root communities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

INFID, NusaNet, and its advocacy network

International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) was initially formed in June 1985, under the name of INGI (Inter-NGO Conference on IGGI Matters), by several Indonesian NGOs (YLBHI, WALHI and Sekretariat Bina Desa) in co-operation with a number of Dutch NGOs (NOVIB, CEBEMO, HIVOS and ICCO). INGI was (and INFID is) an open and pluralistic network of 60 NGOs based in Indonesia and 40 NGOs based in other countries mostly belong to IGGI (Inter Governmental Group for Indonesia, previously – now CGI, Consultative Group for Indonesia—a consortium of donor countries). INGI transformed into INFID in 1992, following the dismissal of IGGI by the Indonesian government and the formation of the CGI (Hadiwinata, 2003:98-100). Since its establishment INFID has been providing input and recommendations on development issues to the donor countries of Indonesia by monitoring the use of bilateral and multilateral loans as well as the pledging sessions for new loans.

JRS and its works with the vulnerable

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Indonesia is part of the Rome-based JRS International founded by Fr. Pedro Aruppe SJ in 1980 which has networks in 50 countries. JRS Indonesia started its activity assisting refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia in Galang Island in the late 1980s but concluded the mission after the government of Indonesia closed the island. In 1998, JRS Indonesia was reinitiated in West Timor following conflict in the neighbouring East Timor province (now independent Timor Leste) and soon worked in Ambon to deliver medical aids and service for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In 2004 the West Timor project was concluded and now JRS works in two regions: Moluccas (post Muslim-Christian conflicts) and Sumatra including Aceh (post tsunami), to work with the refugees and take care of their lives.

YDA, Advokasi and the endeavour to spread global awareness

Yayasan Duta Awam (YDA), set up in Solo, Central Java in 1996, is a CSO working on the issue of farmers advocacy and civil society empowerment. Working with 16 full-timers, YDA aims particularly to empower the farmers so that they can advocate themselves independently in the future, when agricultural and rural development issues are projected to escalate politically in Indonesia. This goal is to be achieved through three main strategic activities: participatory research and monitoring, stakeholder dialogue forums and grassroots media. As a “Farmers’ Institute for Advocacy” YDA has clearly formulated its strategy to empower and increase farmers’ capacity through educations, trainings and mobilisation; advocacy; development of public discourse; database; and capacity building for institutions and organisations.

Weighing impacts of Internet appropriation in Indonesian CSOs

Surman and Reilly (2003) offer a simple framework to understand different extents of Internet use in CSOs by posing three steps in a ‘ladder’, i.e. access, adoption and appropriation. While Camacho’s and Surman’s model offers simplicity to understand different levels that CSOs should use to maximise the benefit of using the ICT, the model proposed by this study provides more details in comprehending the course of actions involved during the innovation-decision process when CSOs (in this instance, Indonesian) adopt the Internet technology until they fully appropriate it. What matters here, empirically, is the impact of such adoption and use on the performance of the organisation. Survey data shows that the overall effect of the Internet use may support the argument that the Internet has been used as a ‘convivial medium’ for CSOs, as concluded by Lim (2003) following Illich’s prophetic vision on human-technology relation (Illich, 1973).

Framing attributes of Internet adoption in CSOs: Miles’ approach

How can perceived attributes [in the adoption of the Internet in Indonesian CSOs] be explained within diffusion theory and CSO study at the same time? Ian Miles (1996) provides an insight to understand competing perspective in ICTs. In his work, he departs from the concern about the classic debate on ‘consensus v. conflict’ which has long been pathological in social science –that in fact also perfectly matches with the spectrum of ‘activism paradigm’ in CSOs*.

Indonesian CSOs – Formal status as strategy

The survey (of 268 CSOs during this study) shows that 73.13% of respondent CSOs are formally registered organisations. While this may sound strange recognising that many social movement organisations are informal (Crossley, 2002; Davis et al., 2005; Della-Porta and Diani, 2006), interviews may be able to provide some explanation. The program manager of Yayasan SET explained explicitly that, “in legal terms, all [CSOs] are foundations. What we have [termed as] NGOs, LSMs, CSOs – they are all [legally registered as] foundations” (Kristiawan, interview, 28/10/05). Kristiawan’s explanation confirms findings from previous work. In their attempt to escape from government control, there was a period when many Indonesian CSOs felt it necessary to formally register with the notary as a foundation (yayasan) as this would provide a necessary legal basis for the organisations’ existence and at the same time ‘exempted’ them from current laws aimed at controlling CSOs’ activities (Bunnell, 1996:198; Eldridge, 1995:7-8; Hadiwinata, 2003:95-96).

Indonesian CSOs – Blooming activism

… apabila usul ditolak tanpa ditimbang
suara dibungkam, kritik dilarang tanpa alas an
dituduh subversif dan mengganggu keamanan
maka hanya ada satu kata: lawan!

post scriptum

It was one day in the mid of May 1998, the year of living dangerously in Indonesia following the prolonged 1997 economic crisis which led to severe socio-political calamity. During the days of riots and mayhem, I found myself on the street of Jakarta with thousands students and social activists, challenging the government to cease power. During a severe attack by military, we were forced back from the famous “Semanggi” bridge in the central Jakarta. A violent strike forced us to retreat and hide, otherwise being targeted by the real bullets. We then hid in the morgue at the Jakarta Hospital near Atmajaya University. To our panicking mind, hiding in the place of dead bodies was the only way to keep safe from the armed military personnel who ran after demonstrators violently. I honestly thought that it would not be long before they found us there.

THANK YOU! – an acknowledgement

dear friends,

with all your support and help, i successfully defended my thesis in a viva voce examination today, friday 7 december 2007 in the university of manchester. i was awarded with a first class PhD with a very minor correction (A2). i will never be able to thank you enough for your great support during my three year research.

a long, but great, day …

sejak saya submit thesis saya, keraguan saya hanya satu: struktur. thesis saya tidak mengikuti tradisi anglo saxon. yang saya maksudkan tradisi anglo saxon adalah thesis dengan struktur konvensional dimana ada bab introduksi, bab kajian pustaka, bab metodologi, bab data/temuan, bab diskusi dan bab kesimpulan secara berurutan.

matinya akal sehat – RUU Pornografi

saya mendapat posting RUU pornografi di bawah ini dari seorang kawan. RUU ini barusaja diserahkan oleh DPR pada pemerintah, yang setelah mengeluarkan draft RUU sandingan dan membahasnya dengan DPR, akan mengesahkannya. jika anda merasa ada yang tidak beres dengan RUU ini, bersuaralah!