Abstract :
Abstract. Indonesia has experienced seven developmental phases of the social system (ideology), i.e. (1) the old phase of Javanese villages (809 AD); (2) the kingdom era (1044-1886); (3) the colonial Dutch East Indies (1853 AD); (4) the Japanese occupation (1942-1945); (5) the settling period from 1945 to 1965; (6) the New Order (1965-1998); and (7) The Reform Era. This ideology affects the development system, which in turn affect the relationship between government and people, such as on the position, rights, and roles of the people in influencing and determining the direction, content and development priorities. Meanwhile, democracy as a political system will affect the development system. Likewise, the decision-making system for developments is strongly influenced by the political system. This paper aims to retrace the democracy in the social system of the “Old phase of Javanese Villages in Indonesia,†to understand and rediscover its values. Many Dutch and British officials admired and recognized these values as the most suitable social system for our nation. Unfortunately, after the kingdom age, the Dutch colonial era and later times, the concept of village democracy has been erased and replaced with a system that was more favorable for the ruling regime. Therefore, this study is expected to remind, enhance and complement the repertoire of knowledge that can be developed and can influence thinking to the enrich and improve democracy in the context of development, especially to build the concept of participatory planning as a medium of education and as a vision to unite the nation. The method used is literature study to discover and understand the historical situation. The village is chosen as a unit of study because it was the forerunner of the traditions and culture of community life as a reflection of the unity of thought and action that determine the direction, content, and priorities of collective action. The village is an entity on the smallest scale in the nation. The village is a “cell†that forms an entity in the administration, law, and resources of the nation.
