Through the principles of recognition and subsidiarity, Law No. 6 of 2014 on Villages (Village Law) carries the spirit of strengthening the village as an independent entity, which is an entity that can organize its own affairs without excess interference from the government structure above it (supra village government). In managing its own affairs, the village is provided with the authority to organize village governance based on democratic principles, namely the villagers having the right to be involved in government administration.
What is referred to as democracy is not formal democracy as practiced at the national level, with political parties as the main instruments. In this case, democracy is understood as practices that emphasize consensus in decisionmaking, involving the villagers either directly or through representative institutions. The practice of village democracy, as mandated by the Village Law, does not involve political parties as representatives of citizens, but implemented by the Village Consultative Body (BPD). In this context, the empowerment of BPD is crucial in order to strengthen village democracy.
