Don't take it lightly
Don't take it lightly
From Rakyat Merdeka
The community was startled by the assault on Matori Abdul Djalil, deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, by several unknown intruders in his house. In the past two months there have been violent attacks on three political figures.
The first two were of (the late) Tengku Nashiruddin Daud and Suryadharma Ali. The victim now is Matori Abdul Djalil, a prominent figure of the National Awakening Party (PKB), who is also known as a senior politician that is critical and has a reliable opinion.
The above tragedies should be a warning to politicians to be wary in ensuring their personal safety. Political violence is a continuous threat. The reasons are varied: jealousy, competition, annoyance and also revenge.
Political revenge can make somebody go berserk, no longer heed fair play and common sense. The person will instead justify all his means to realize his political ambition. He will not hesitate to wipe out political foes as well as friends.
Who is behind all this? It is hard to say because it is not clear who is the doer or the brain behind the crime. What is clear is the attack is aimed at a well-known political figure. The police will certainly investigate the case seriously so it will become clear whether it was a case of political violence or a random crime.
I would like to remind politicians that they should learn from these incidents and display correct behavior when playing their role. The hot political climate must be cooled and solutions must be found immediately to enhance national reconciliation among all the components of the nation. Politicians should introspect whether so far they have adhered to ethics or just played political games which just emphasize differences.
Introspection is important in order to avoid arrogant behavior which may hurt the other side. Political ethics must be ensured and used so that politicians are always protected by political morals which are clear and apparent. This is important so that the old stereotype that politics is dirty, cruel and resembling mice, can be avoided.
In essence politics is only a means to organize people making them prosperous. Politics is not a wandering ghost. If political behavior changes into devilish behavior, it is not politics but people who are possessed by Satan. Therefore the occurrence of violence against several political figures must not be underestimated.
WARINO WIDODO
Jakarta