A timely reminder

We are now living amid the turbulent efforts of economic development, which can have a negative impact on our moral values if we are not careful. Because of this we need someone to remind us when we get too far along the highway of material development and to tell us that we need to take another look at our traditional values.

It is in this context that we need to watch the congress of the Indonesian Ulemas' Council (MUI) which was opened by President Soeharto last night. The council is an influential non- governmental body which was set up two decades ago as a bridge of communication between the authorities and the Moslem community.

Lately the MUI has appeared to be more active in its efforts to act as a moral watchdog for the nation. It has been spending more time observing negative trends due to which our moral values as a people have gradually changed.

We have to understand that this change is part of the complexity of our drive towards modernism. But the drive has often put us on a collision course with traditional values. There is now a strong tendency among our people to compete for greater personal welfare. This has led to the view that the accumulation of wealth should have no boundaries and that the end always justifies the means.

In short, we have seen the gradual disappearance of our sense of social responsibility and of what the people here like to call the "culture of shame". People from all walks of life have not only ceased to feel ashamed when they are involved in unethical or dishonest behavior, or scandals, but even flaunt their corrupt and scandalous ways of life.

It is truly regrettable that the majority of people in our society seem to have adapted themselves to this reality because they do not want to be accused of lagging behind. The question is how to stop the trend and to correct the attitude that everyone has the right to do anything they want to in this country as long as they do not disturb national stability.

For those citizens with adequate rational and intellectual capabilities the fading away of the "culture of shame" means that something valuable has gone missing -- something that we inherited from our ancestors and that has long been a part of our culture.

Due to the loss of a sense of shame over wrongdoing, we have degraded ourselves to the level of creatures who worship the material to the detriment of human dignity.

It is here that religious bodies like MUI must play a greater role, based on the logic that religions not only motivate their followers to visiting places of worship, but also encourage people to apply strict moral teachings and a sense of social responsibility in their daily lives.

To face this complex problem effectively, MUI not only needs an urgent sense of responsibility, but also some modern infrastructure. It should first set up a research body in order to draw up a map of the social ills to be tackled.

And due to the fact that the "culture of shame" has been pushed aside, not only in private circles but also in the bureaucracy, MUI must find the courage to speak to the ruling elite about the matter.

MUI chairman KH Hasan Basri was right when he said that the council is not sermonizing when it criticizes. He sees the MUI's comments on current social behavior as a reminder to the public of the traditional moral values that have served this nation well. And, in particular, as a reminder to the people in authority, that they took solemn oaths of moral and ethical import upon assuming their positions of power.

Unfortunately, in our culture where the remnants of the old feudalistic ways are still alive, sending this important message home may be easier said than done.