Leaders blamed for moral decadence
Leaders blamed for moral decadence
A'an Suryana and Asip Agus Hasani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Yogyakarta
Muslim figures hailed on Thursday a united call from religious
leaders to address the moral decadence facing the nation and were
quick to attribute the crisis to the country's leaders.
Rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute for Islamic
Studies (IAIN), Azyumardi Azra, labeled the country's leaders as
the source of the moral decay that had been prevailing in all
walks of life.
"The leaders, including political and religious leaders, are
unable to act as role models. They fight each other and fail to
prove that they are immune from, for example, the disease of
corruption," Azyumardi said.
Splits in the United Development Party (PPP) and the National
Awakening Party (PKB) are the latest examples of the political
elite's susceptibility to conflict.
Azyumardi said that such disputes between members of the elite
would thwart their ability to defuse conflicts at the grassroots
level.
"People no longer trust their leaders, and in the absence of
respected leaders grassroots conflicts will continue," he said.
Over the past few years, Indonesia has seen prolonged communal
clashes, including in Kalimantan, Maluku, Poso and other regions.
Also speaking out on Thursday were leading preacher Abdullah
Gymnastiar and senior Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) activists Mustofa
Bisri and Mahfud Ridwan.
They were commenting on a meeting between leaders of various
religions, who pledged to work together to bring the country back
from the brink of moral catastrophe.
Despite setting out different perspectives on the causes of
and solutions to the moral crisis, the Muslim figures agreed that
a failure to address the problem would lead society to the point
of total moral bankruptcy.
Unlike Azyumardi, Gymnastiar said that the moral crisis had
originated from people's pursuit of material possessions.
"The materialistic orientation has led people to pursue their
interests, regardless of morality," said Gymnastiar, adding that
this attitude was a source of corrupt practices.
To ease moral decadence, the Muslim figure proposed that the
people empower themselves to act as society's moral guardians,
since their leaders had lost credibility.
"Leaders have failed to establish the law, and even they are
involved in corruption. Therefore, people themselves must be
front runners and create credible pressure groups to raise the
moral quality of society," said Gymnastiar.
Gymnastiar added that religious leaders had been right to
issue a call to address the moral crisis.
"The sense of moral crisis is detrimental to the conduct of
our social life, since it has become a source of economic and
political decadence in the country," he said.
Moral crisis, manifested by, among other things, the presence
of rampant corrupt practices in the country, had precipitated the
country's economic downfall, he said.
Gymnastiar believes society's moral crisis has escalated,
saying that "it has affected government officials, legislators
and even religious leaders in our country."
Azyumardi shared Gymnastiar's view, saying that the moral
crisis was indeed present in all walks of life.
"Political leaders are struggling for seats, regardless of
moral deeds, through, for example, money politics. Sadly,
corruption, drug abuse and broken families are also rampant today
in our society," he said.
Mustofa Bisri offered a somewhat cliched solution to the moral
decadence: a return to religious teaching.
"People's neglect of God has led them into selfishness and
greed, therefore the only way they can purify themselves is by
practicing religious teachings," he said.
Echoing Mustofa's views, Mahfud Ridwan said that recent
religious clashes could be reduced if people practiced moral
principles in their daily lives.
"If we understand the true morality of religions, there is no
reason for people to fight each other in the name of religion,"
he said.