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