Emulate Founding Fathers, PKS Secretary-General Highlights Qanaah Principle as Bung Hatta's Moral Value

Secretary-General of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Muhammad Kholid opened the Indonesia Muda Bicara discussion series welcoming the 81st Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia “… Is the Right of All Nations” by inviting the younger generation to rediscover the exemplary qualities of the nation’s founders.

“It is indeed important for young people to hear the stories of the nation’s founders. The founders were not perfect, but the exemplary qualities they bequeathed to us are what we must emulate. Their exemplary thinking and attitudes are like an oasis amid today’s transactional politics,” said Kholid in a written statement on Saturday (15/8/2026).

Kholid then recounted his experience accompanying PKS President Almuzzammil Yusuf on a pilgrimage to the grave of Mohammad Hatta last Thursday (13/08/2026). During the visit, they were welcomed by two of Bung Hatta’s daughters, Halida Hatta and Meutia Hatta, and were invited to view books of Bung Hatta’s intellectual works.

According to Kholid, Bung Hatta is not only known as a figure with strong thinking in the fields of economics and cooperatives. Bung Hatta also laid the foundations of Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy.

“I said to the party president that Bung Hatta’s intellectual legacy must be passed on to Indonesia’s younger generation. He not only wrote down his thoughts, but also bequeathed an example,” he said.

Kholid revealed that during the meeting with Bung Hatta’s daughters, he asked about Bung Hatta’s secret in maintaining integrity, morality and exemplary conduct. The answer given by Halida Hatta, according to him, was deeply touching, namely “qanaah”, or feeling content.

“We were deeply moved by that answer. As long as we are accepting, not greedy, not excessive in life, and we know the limits of propriety, then God willing we can maintain morality in all our policies. And that is not easy; that consistency is not easy,” he said.