Morality: A piece in the national development puzzle<\/p>\n
By Mochtar Buchori<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A friend of mine, an economist, has been telling
\nme that what really ails Indonesia is not its economy but its
\nmorality.<\/p>\n
Morality is a cultural issue so the main problem facing
\nIndonesia today is not economic but cultural. And cultural
\nproblems are much harder to solve than economic ones.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, any economic dilemma can be solved through
\neconomic measures that regulate forces which are responsible for
\nthat particular quandary.<\/p>\n
But whether these economic measures will be carried out
\nfaithfully and honestly, well that is no longer a problem of
\neconomics. That is a cultural problem.<\/p>\n
I was confounded when I heard this explanation. I have been
\nconditioned to think that economic problems are the most basic
\nand the most important among all the enigmas that beset this
\ncountry. I was not prepared for such a strange perspective.<\/p>\n
My friend went on to expose and explain his view. He said the
\ndisappointing factor was that we did not seem to be aware that
\nsuch cultural problems existed.<\/p>\n
We have not done anything to solve our morality problems or
\nany other cultural obstacles. Compared to what we have done to
\nanalyze and solve our economic problems, our attempts to solve
\ncultural issues have been infinitesimal.<\/p>\n
Since the national dialogue on culture in 1938, nothing of
\nequal significance has ever taken place.<\/p>\n
For a while I could offer nothing in return for my friend's
\nview. He seemed so right yet somehow he also seemed not quite
\nright. There was something wrong with his conclusion.<\/p>\n
It was only after carefully analyzing his argument that I
\nfound out what was wrong with his way of thinking. His mistake:
\nhe views problems of morality and economics as though they belong
\nto the same category.<\/p>\n
Questions of morality lie within the domain of ethical values,
\nwhereas economic questions stem from empirical facts. Ethical
\nconcepts are gerundives, denoting something worthy of doing.
\nEmpirical concepts, on the other hand, designate the properties
\nof things. The two cannot be contrasted.<\/p>\n
It can thus be concluded that both moral and economic problems
\nare of equal importance and that they must be tackled
\nsimultaneously.<\/p>\n
It is wrong to think that we must wait until moral values
\nbecome firmly anchored in our society before we can proceed to
\nsolving our economic problems and make our society more just and
\nmore prosperous. But it is equally wrong to think that success in
\nsolving economic problems will automatically bring about a
\nsociety with higher moral standards.<\/p>\n
Are problems of morality really cultural? I am not so sure. I
\nthink that such a view is only partially true. Problems of
\nmorality are basically caused by the failure of individuals to
\nadhere to accepted values or norms, especially ethical norms.<\/p>\n
It is cultural in the sense that in any society, ethical norms
\nare transmitted from one generation to the next through culture.
\nProblems of morality can be considered entirely cultural only if
\nthe whole set of beliefs -- the right and wrong that a society
\naccepts and implements -- are incompatible with the ethical norms
\nof other societies.<\/p>\n
In such a case, it becomes highly problematic to decide which
\nsocieties, with such conflicting value systems, are indeed beset
\nby problems of morality. Perhaps this is because, as Samuel
\nButler (1835-1902) said, morality is the custom of one's country
\nand the current feelings of one's peers. Or, to borrow the words
\nof Elbert Hubbard (1895-1915), morality is largely a matter of
\ngeography.<\/p>\n
My economist friend is right, in my opinion, when he argues
\nthat we do not spend enough time or effort solving our cultural
\nproblems -- our problems of morality. Why is this the case?<\/p>\n
I do not know. But my guess is that this is the consequence of
\na development policy that puts economic growth at the center of
\nall activities. Morality never enters the equation of
\ndevelopment. It has not even been recognized as a relevant
\nvariable.<\/p>\n
It should not be surprising therefore that there has never
\nbeen any serious discussion about morality, an issue that our
\ndevelopment design considers trivial.<\/p>\n
Even after every major international institution of
\ndevelopment states that corruption and collusion -- which are
\nsigns of low morality -- are detrimental to development, we still
\nrefuse to include morality in our thinking on this issue.<\/p>\n
I personally view morality as the foundation for every
\ntechnical structure of development. If our morality is solid,
\nevery kind of structure we build for our advancement will stand
\nstrong too.<\/p>\n
Consequently, we will have stable institutions of development:
\neconomic, political, social, health, educational, etc. But if our
\nmorality is weak then every structure we build will stand upon a
\nloose heap of sand. Such institutions will collapse easily.<\/p>\n
Do we really have problems with our morality? It depends upon
\nhow we define morality. According to Dr. Philip H. Phenix, the
\nessence of morality is knowledge about right and wrong --
\nknowledge about what ought to be done and what ought to be
\navoided -- and voluntary personal commitment to abide by these
\nviews.<\/p>\n
The central concept of morality is obligation. And according
\nto John Morley (1871-1908), the essence of morality is the
\nsubjugation of nature in obedience to social needs.<\/p>\n
If we use this concept as our guide, we can now ask ourselves
\nthe following five questions to judge where we stand on the issue
\nof reality.<\/p>\n
1. Do we have problems in distinguishing what is right from
\nwhat is wrong?<\/p>\n
2. Do we have problems doing the right thing deliberately
\nevery time?<\/p>\n
3. Do we have problems defining what our obligations are?<\/p>\n
4. Do we have problems fulfilling what we have accepted as our
\nobligations?<\/p>\n
5. Do we have problems subjugating ourselves to social needs.<\/p>\n
If we are willing to look honestly at the situation around us,
\nin terms of these five questions, then we have to admit that we
\nhave serious problems indeed with our morality.<\/p>\n
Do we have the capability to strengthen our morality?<\/p>\n
It depends on whether or not we want to build a viable
\nsociety. If we do, then we will have to do whatever we can to
\ndevelop civic and personal moralities.<\/p>\n
Bertrand Russel said, in 1917: Without civic morality
\ncommunities perish; without personal morality their survival has
\nno value."<\/p>",
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