The Disappearing Public Sphere and Autocratic Legalism

Hannah Arendt’s works emerged out of the horror of 20th-century totalitarianism, offering a sharp and urgent conceptual framework for understanding the realities of our time. For Arendt, politics is not merely a contest of power, but a space where humans appear together in the world: speaking, debating, and engaging in collective action, giving rise to meaningful political activity. This can only happen when the public space is properly realized.

The aforementioned topic will be discussed by Dr. Johanes Haryatmoko, SJ (Romo Moko) together with Patricia Beata Kurnia in a programme entitled The Disappearing Public Sphere and Autocratic Legalism. This lecture is part of the ongoing commemorative events marking the 50th anniversary of Hannah Arendt’s passing, organised by Goethe-Institut Indonesien in collaboration with Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan.

According to Arendt, the public sphere is increasingly scarce within electoral democracies dominated by power transactions, where the people’s voices are counted only when needed, and silenced when they demand change. Autocratic legalism subtly yet systematically corrodes “democracy.” Rather than protecting, the law is used to suppress: activists are criminalized, criticism is met with legal charges, and justice vanishes within the law.

For Romo Moko, Indonesia’s current condition reflects Arendt’s concern that public space is reduced to an exclusive, transactional political marketplace. In line with Arendt’s view, marginalized groups are pushed further aside; voices that deviate from the dominant narrative are silenced. Political action becomes a trap of loyalty—losing its creative and liberating force.

Seizing the moment to reflect on Arendt’s intellectual legacy and its urgency in understanding the shrinking political space in Indonesia, this program also invites us to revitalize the public sphere as a meeting ground for courage, freedom, and responsibility. Hannah Arendt’s thought serves as a gateway to a deeper reading of today’s political dynamics.