{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1675096,
        "msgid": "testing-the-indonesian-paradox-in-the-hands-of-power-1776091856",
        "date": "2026-04-13 20:50:06",
        "title": "Testing the 'Indonesian Paradox' in the Hands of Power",
        "author": "",
        "source": "VIVA",
        "tags": "berita",
        "topic": "Politics",
        "summary": "Political and legal observer Pieter C Zulkifli warns that Indonesia's sovereignty and justice are being tested by the very practices of power, urging honest reforms to shape the nation's future. He highlights the irony where higher positions lead to leaders becoming detached from reality, emphasising the need for humble, inclusive leadership rooted in Indonesian wisdom like 'ngayomi' and the bending rice stalk philosophy. Referencing Prabowo Subianto's book 'Paradoks Indonesia', Pieter questions whether current policies address the warned risks of economic inequality, resource leaks, and weak institutions, or if they confirm fears of national decline now that the author holds peak power.",
        "content": "<p>Political and legal observer Pieter C Zulkifli reminds us that ideas\nof sovereignty and justice are tested by the practices of power itself.\nThe direction of the nation\u2019s future depends on the courage to honestly\nreform the system. \u201cLeadership is tested not by power, but by the\ncourage to listen and uphold justice amid the shadow of oligarchy and\nlegal crises,\u201d said Pieter in his statement in Jakarta on Monday, 13\nApril 2026. He assesses that there is one irony that keeps repeating in\nthe history of this nation: the higher someone\u2019s position, the greater\nthe temptation to stop listening. However, he says, that is precisely\nwhere the quality of leadership is tested, whether it remains humble or\nturns into a tower far from reality. For him, amid the reality of a\nlegal system that is often questioned and the strengthening shadow of\noligarchy, the public needs leaders who are not merely strong, but also\nhumble and pro-people. \u201cWe often define a great leader as someone who is\nstrong, firm, and respected. However, in the tradition of Indonesian\nlocal wisdom, from the value of ngayomi to the philosophy of \u2018the fuller\nthe rice, the more it bends\u2019, a true leader is one who is willing to\nlisten, embrace, and walk alongside the people. He is not a peacock\ndemanding respect, but a root that strengthens the tree so it doesn\u2019t\nfall in the storm,\u201d he said. He quotes the warning of Buya Hamka, namely\n\u2018A good captain is not one who is skilled at steering the ship, but one\nwho knows the secrets of the ocean\u2019. This means that leadership is not\nmerely about control, but about depth of understanding of the realities\nfaced. Pieter says this reflection becomes even more relevant when\nrereading the ideas in the book Paradoks Indonesia by Prabowo Subianto.\nIn the book, there is a stark warning that Indonesia could \u2018head towards\ndestruction\u2019 if state governance is not improved. \u201cThis statement is not\nmere rhetoric, but the result of reading data on economic inequality,\nresource leaks, and weak institutions,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen the author of\nthat book is at the peak of power, the public\u2019s question becomes\nunavoidable: does the direction of policy today answer the concerns in\nthat book, or does it confirm the fears that were once written?\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/testing-the-indonesian-paradox-in-the-hands-of-power-1776091856",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}