The word "development," derived from the English word "development," carries significant meaning in a political-economic context. Within this context, development can be defined as a state's political choice. This political choice is legitimate, although it may be non-Pareto, meaning the state legitimates its policies even if they harm a group of people affected by them, potentially even those who have not yet been born.
Here, the terms "development" and "policy" seem to merge into one. Their concrete implementation can be seen in the form of regulations, such as laws and their derivatives. Therefore, it is crucial to view development from the perspective of the institutionalization of the set of values behind the resulting laws and regulations.
The important question that is the subject of the objectivity test of the legal regulations (policies) that will be established or have been established (to be evaluated) is whether these legal regulations are in accordance with the spirit or soul of the Preamble above?
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The first value stated in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution is independence or anti-colonialism. Thus, the testing step in the selection of policy-making planning or in the evaluation process of a policy or series is whether the value of independence has been made the main basis in the preparation of legislation or policies. Who gets what, how much, when, and where after Indonesia's independence for 75 years is an important question to be used as evaluation material for a development process that has been carried out. The Preamble to the 1945 Constitution mandates that " And the struggle for Indonesian independence has reached a happy moment, safely and securely leading the Indonesian people to the gates of independence of the Indonesian State, which is free, united, sovereign, just, and prosperous ."
So, who gets what, how much, and the subject is the Indonesian people. Herein lies the importance of the philosophy of development as a means of liberation. Predictions of what will be achieved by 2050, for example, as has been widely done so far, are also no less important than viewing it from the perspective of liberation as stated in the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution. By examining the empirical experience of Indonesia's condition after 75 years of independence compared to the experiences of other countries such as South Korea or Malaysia, or even compared to Japan, China or the United States, will also provide important input in seeking efforts to achieve a better future for Indonesia in accordance with the preamble to the 1945 Constitution above.
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By: Agus Pakpahan
Chairman of the Indonesian Agricultural Economics Association (PERHEPI 2000-2003)
