Know your enemy
Know your enemy
From Pikiran Rakyat
Resolving problems of the state and nation by way of jihad(
holy war) is far from being a satisfactory solution as it is
highly likely that it would trigger unrest.
The most important point is that we, Indonesians, must clearly
proclaim the mission and vision of our struggle and determine who
our real enemies are.
I am of the opinion that our enemies are not our fellow
countrymen, whether Muslims, Christians, the Golkar Party or any
of our ethnic groups. Our real enemies are:
1. Poverty -- this is closely related to the effort to create
equity: equitable economic development for social prosperity and
the enhancement of human dignity.
2. Ignorance -- closely tied to the national education system,
which has to be able to produce human resources of good quality
at an affordable cost.
3. Injustice -- encompassing law enforcement (instead of fiercely
defending those who have money).
4. Corruption, collusion and nepotism -- related to efforts to
clamp down on corruption, meaning that whoever embezzles state
funds must be severely punished. There must be no compromise or
discriminatory treatment in law enforcement.
5. Public and political lies -- we must find state officials and
legislators who put the emphasis on moral, political and ethical
aspects and avoid acts that could lead to antagonism, disputes
and disintegration.
So long as we have not translated the principles underlying
the five points stated above into reality, this nation will
always be susceptible to hatred, enmity, disintegration and
mutual suspicion; social cohesion will break down and we will
fall into anarchy.
Therefore, I beg all the components of this nation who still have
some common sense and conscience to always be aware of our
responsibilities. Let us together, hand in hand, transform
popular emotions into something rational and objective. Let us
start to again knit together the unravelling threads of unity for
the sake of the Republic of Indonesia that we all love.
LEONARDY EKAPUTRA
Bandung