Corruption? 'Right or wrong, my party"<\/p>\n
Mochtar Buchori, Legislator, Indonesian Democratic
\nParty of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Jakarta<\/p>\n
We all know the English saying, "Right or wrong, my country."
\nAccording to one source, this is a variant of a statement made by
\nan American commodore, S. Decatur (1779-1820). Commodore Decatur
\nwas said to have stated the following when proposing a toast in
\nNorfolk: "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations,
\nmay she always be in the right, but -- our country, right or
\nwrong!"<\/p>\n
But according to another source, this popular saying
\noriginated from another English saying, a sentence coined by C.
\nChurchill, who in the book The Farewell (1764) wrote the
\nfollowing: "Be England what she will \/ With all her faults she is
\nmy country still."<\/p>\n
In any case, the above saying is used to express one's
\nabsolute loyalty to one's country. It is a solemn pledge,
\npromising one's readiness to serve the country.<\/p>\n
Lately, a new variant of this popular saying seems to be
\nbudding in our society, i.e. "right or wrong, my party." This is
\nthe sort of feeling that seems to dominate the minds of many
\nmembers of many political parties. To these people, their party
\ncan do no wrong, and it must therefore be defended against any
\nattempt to undermine it.<\/p>\n
Two different ways seem to be followed today to implement this
\npledge. One is by "punishing" those considered to be endangering
\nthe party, using violence if need be. The other is by "purifying"
\nthe party, i.e. cleansing the party of all elements that
\nperpetrate malpractices within it.<\/p>\n
I have always had reservations about the above English saying,
\nand have always tried to avoid using it. And I am even less
\ncomfortable still with its derivative, "Right or wrong, my
\nparty." I fear someone will advocate a still smaller derivative,
\n"Right or wrong, my leader." Under this banner, members of every
\npolitical party will then be urged not only to be loyal to the
\nparty, but also be loyal to its leader, especially its supreme
\nleader.<\/p>\n
If and when this happens, I fear we will find ourselves more
\ndeeply entrenched in a political culture that is oriented
\nentirely towards personalities. This will prevent us from moving
\ntowards a genuine democratic society, which can be accomplished
\nonly by developing and establishing a political culture that is
\noriented towards society and all its members.<\/p>\n
If one chooses to interpret the original saying as meaning
\nthat every citizen should be loyal to the country without losing
\nsight of basic ethics concerning respect for human life and
\nhumanity, then the pledge of blind loyalty to the party is
\ninvalid, and therefore unacceptable.<\/p>\n
If, on the other hand, one chooses to interpret the saying as
\nmeaning that it is always the country that must be served first,
\nwhatever the situation may be -- then within this mindset it is
\nquite logical and consistent that one gives his or her loyalty
\nentirely to the party and its leaders. I would call this kind of
\nloyalty "barbarous loyalty."<\/p>\n
What kind of political culture do we need to develop? If we
\nreally want to have a democratic society, how are we going to
\nproceed from where we are now to a political life that places the
\nwelfare and interests of the people as our central concern?<\/p>\n
This transformation towards a "civic political culture" cannot
\nbe taken for granted. So many abuses are perpetrated in the name
\nof "democracy". One of these is the slogan of "defending the
\nleader", taken to mean "defending the party" and "defending the
\ncountry." Criticizing a leader is subversive; or worse, a
\nbetrayal of the country.<\/p>\n
This way of looking at things can create confusion among the
\nrank and file of any political party. The sad thing is that at
\nthe moment this confusion seems to prevail in a number of
\nparties. It exists within the PDI Perjuangan, within the Golkar
\nParty, and, I think, also within the National Awakening Party
\n(PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP).<\/p>\n
Who has committed treachery in the PDI Perjuangan: Kwik Kian
\nGie or the ones who have allowed, or even urged, individuals
\nwithin the party to commit corruption?<\/p>\n
Who is trying to restore the honor of the Golkar Party: Those
\nwho want its chairman to resign or those who have been trying to
\ndefend him until the very end? Which of the two rival PKB camps
\nis really betraying the original mission of the party?<\/p>\n
Every side involved in these controversies has its own way of
\njustifying its position.<\/p>\n
I cannot pretend to be an arbiter, either. I have simply made
\nmy choice of how to interpret the above saying.<\/p>\n
But what worries me is the bleak prospect of the next
\ngeneration being incapable of interpreting the meaning of "right
\nor wrong, my country" within any given set of circumstance.<\/p>",
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