Islamic Values-Based Reconstruction of Community Organizations Governnce : The Context of Balancing Freedom of Association and Public Order in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70062/harmonyphilosophy.v2i2.207Keywords:
Balancing Freedom, Civil Society, Community Organization, Good Governance, MaṣlaḥahAbstract
The rapid changes in Indonesia's socio-political landscape have highlighted the urgency of reconstructing the governance of civil society organizations, especially in balancing the tension between the freedom of association and public order. This tension has emerged as a contemporary trend filled with controversy and civil unrest. This study aims to formulate a model of governance for civil society organizations based on Islamic values, using three theoretical frameworks: Najm al-Din al-Tufi's Maṣlaḥah Theory, Robert Putnam's Civil Society Theory, and Mark Bevir's Good Governance Theory. The methodology used is a qualitative-descriptive approach, which includes data collection through policy documentation, digital media analysis, and in-depth interviews with two key informants from religious-based civil society organizations—Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Persatuan Islam (PERSIS). Primary sources include official government documents such as Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perpu) No. 2 of 2017 and Minister of Home Affairs Regulation No. 57 of 2017, alongside empirical narratives from community leaders. The research findings suggest that the social legitimacy of civil society organizations is more influenced by the practical application of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah (obligatory duties) and their ability to address the real needs of society than by mere adherence to administrative regulations. These findings highlight the gap between legality and legitimacy and emphasize that integrating the values of maṣlaḥah (benefit), social capital, and transparency is essential to strengthening civil society in a democratic state. By embedding Islamic values into the governance models, civil society organizations can better serve the community while maintaining democratic principles, creating a more inclusive and beneficial governance framework that aligns with both public needs and Islamic teachings.
References
Acintya, A. (n.d.). Exploring the dynamics of NGO accountability: A case study of an Indonesian NGO. University of Sussex.
Al-Ṭūfiyy, N. al-D. (1977). Al-Iksīr fī 'Ilm al-Tafsīr. Maktabah al-Ādāb.
Al-Ṭūfiyy, N. al-D. (1998). al-Ta'yīn fī Sharh al-Arba'īn (A. Ḥāj M. 'Uthmān, Ed.). Muaasasah al-Riyān.
Asrinaldi, & Yusoff, M. A. (2023). Power consolidation and its impact on the decline of democracy in Indonesia under President Jokowi. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1), 2232579. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2232579
Bevir, M. (2002). A decentered theory of governance. Journal Des Conomistes et Des Tudes Humaines, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.2202/1145-6396.1073
Bevir, M. (2006a). Democratic governance: Systems and radical perspectives. Public Administration Review, 66(3), 426-436. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6210.2006.00599.x
Bevir, M. (2006b). The life, death, and resurrection of British governance. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 1(65), 59-69. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8500.2006.00482.x
Bevir, M. (2007). Encyclopedia of governance (Vol. 1). Sage. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230591363_1
Bevir, M. (2010a). Democratic governance. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400836857
Bevir, M. (2010b). The SAGE handbook of governance. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446200964
Bevir, M. (2011). Governance as theory, practice, and dilemma. In The SAGE Handbook of Governance (pp. 1-16). https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446200964.n1
Bevir, M. (2012). Governance: A very short introduction. OUP Oxford. https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199606412.001.0001
Bevir, M. (2014). Democratic governance: A genealogy. Observatoire de La Société Britannique, 16, 19-36. https://doi.org/10.4000/osb.1695
Bevir, M. (2018). Decentring security governance. In Decentring Security (pp. 1-13). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315145297-1
Bevir, M., & Rhodes, R. (2006). Governance stories. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203969090
Bevir, M., & Rhodes, R. A. W. (2003). Searching for civil society: Changing patterns of governance in Britain. Public Administration, 81(1), 41-62. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00336
Bevir, M., Rhodes, R. A. W., & Weller, P. (2003a). Comparative governance: Prospects and lessons. Public Administration, 81(1), 191-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00342
Bevir, M., Rhodes, R. A. W., & Weller, P. (2003b). Traditions of governance: Interpreting the changing role of the public sector. Public Administration, 81(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9299.00334
Bosman, M., & Jansen, B. (2023). Corporate sustainability through private regulation: A deluge of standards: The importance of policy coherence in pursuit of sustainability. In Sustainability in Public Procurement, Corporate Law and Higher Education (pp. 175-200). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003252153-11
Diprose, R. (2023). Brokerage, power and gender equity: How empowerment‐focused civil society organisations bolster women's influence in rural Indonesia. Journal of International Development, 35(3), 401-425. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3770
Faiz, I. A., & Taib, F. (2025). Developing a public accountability assessment model for Islamic non-government organisations (INGOs) in Indonesia: An information perspective. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-07-2024-0486
Fitrian, A., Rusmana, D., Adiasih, N., Miharja, M., & Idrus, N. (2024). The influence of civil law on the quality of community life: Case studies in big Indonesian cities. UNES Law Review, 7(1), 348-359.
Friedman, B. D. (2022). Institutional Theory and Nonprofits. In Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (pp. 6782-6789). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66252-3_2587
Gamboa, R., & Dockendorff, A. (2023). Institutional organization of the Chilean National Congress. In Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (pp. 6770-6777). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-66252-3_3179
Irawan, I. (2023). Advocacy strategies of civil society organisations in decentralised Indonesia: An exploration using a policy window framework. Khazanah Sosial, 5(3), 534-550. https://doi.org/10.15575/ks.v5i3.29547
Jeddawi, M., Madjid, U., & Sahyana, Y. (2025). Collaborative governance in prevention of village fund corruption crimes in Indonesia: A case study in Bandung Regency West Java Province. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Studies, 7(2), 68-86.
Kurniawan, D. (2024). Triangulated challenges to democracy: A critical voice of public theology to counter fear and escalating polarization in Indonesia. International Journal of Public Theology, 18(3), 303-323. https://doi.org/10.1163/15697320-20241506
Nicolaidis, K. (2024). The third democratic transformation: From European to planetary politics. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 62(3), 845-867. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcms.13589
Pancasila as a Foundation for Legal Reform: Evaluating the Impact of Civic Education on Indonesian Legal Systems. (n.d.). Journal of Law and Legal Reform, 5(3 SE-Articles), 1429-1468. https://doi.org/10.15294/jllr.v5i3.16498
Putnam, R. (1997). Democracy in America at century's end. Democracy's Victory and Crisis, 27-70. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511558832.003
