Honesty is the best policy<\/p>\n
From Merdeka<\/p>\n
An article in Merdeka (May 25) and in Gatra (May 31), quoted
\nbusinessman Probosutedjo as saying that a minister or official
\nwho makes a mistake should resign, because their act would result
\nin the suffering of the people and the nation.<\/p>\n
He also said President Soeharto would never dismiss his
\nministers, so the minister concerned must introspect and submit a
\nletter of resignation. The President would certainly not object.
\nAnd according to Probosutedjo, if the minister did not resign he
\nwould take pity on the President.<\/p>\n
It is worth noting Japan in this viewpoint. The top
\nauthorities do not have to become involved in the case of a
\nminister\/official doing something wrong. The guilty
\nminister\/official will submit their resignation.<\/p>\n
If we followed the Japanese way of life, Indonesia would have
\ndeveloped and progressed more than Japan. Indonesia could have
\nbecome more prosperous than Japan because our country is much
\nricher in terms of natural resources.<\/p>\n
But Japan has not become what it is overnight. Its ancient
\nhistory tells us that Japan had wise but cruel emperors. They
\nmeted out capital punishment to ministers\/officials who were
\nguilty of crimes that brought about suffering and misery for the
\npeople.<\/p>\n
This system worked through the generations and in due course
\nthe Japanese people were ashamed of committing these crimes. It
\nwas common practice that the guilty person committed suicide
\nbefore the execution, an act considered to be gentlemanly, and
\nthus left his family's reputation clean.<\/p>\n
Clearly, this kind of attitude should begin at a higher level
\nof bureaucracy. It must be forcefully done. An ancient Greek
\nstatesman said: \"Power is sweet.\" This can be interpreted as
\n\"power can be a source of money\". Therefore, it is almost
\nimpossible to expect somebody holding power to transfer the power
\ndespite the evident mistake being committed. Demonstrations
\nlaunched against the guilty person do not work and only fall on
\ndeaf ears. We are a forgiving nation, a characteristic inherited
\nfrom our ancestors.<\/p>\n
Name and address<\/p>\n
known to the editor<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/honesty-is-the-best-policy-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }