Don't Lean on the Godfather, Lean on God

Rector of Universitas Harkat Negeri (UHN) Sudirman Said has called on state administrators to anticipate a governance crisis by ceasing the worship of power personification and returning to values and institutions. He encapsulated this call in a simple sentence: do not lean on the godfather, lean on God. What he meant by godfather is not merely the cartel boss on the silver screen, but the character of power centralised in a single figure. Sudirman listed a series of names who once held immense power in their eras, such as Pablo Escobar, Al Capone, Don Corleone, and even Hitler, who ultimately passed. “The godfathers fade, while good order endures. Therefore, our loyalty should be to eternal values, not to mortal figures,” said Sudirman during a Technical Guidance event for PKS Regional House of Representatives members across Kalimantan in Jakarta on Saturday (13/6/2026). According to Sudirman, the temptation of personifying power strengthens precisely when politics loses its long-term orientation. He referenced economist Dambisa Moyo, who in Edge of Chaos assesses that politicians are now busier winning elections than safeguarding the long-term health of their countries. This condition, Moyo argues, gives birth to a mediocracy where politics pursues short-term interests rather than substantive policy. “In a space impoverished of long-term ideas, figures replace systems, and personal loyalty displaces public accountability,” Sudirman stated.