Morality part of politics

Morality part of politics

From Koran Tempo

The presumption of innocence is the legal principle that all of us should respect as it is part of law enforcement itself. Obviously, the Attorney General's Office has named Akbar Tandjung as a suspect in the case of Buloggate II with all the necessary evidence and witnesses. It follows that Akbar Tandjung will immediately be questioned and then put on trial.

The problem is that Akbar Tandjung is not an ordinary citizen. He is the Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR). The House, as we all know, represents a nation with a population of more than 250 million people. He is also a member of the country's legislature, which lays down the laws of the government and the Republic of Indonesia.

Many people have been calling on Akbar Tandjung to temporarily resign from his position as House Speaker. While no regulations and laws oblige legislators, or high-ranking state officials allegedly involved in corruption, to step down, moral values and ethics, which are certainly elements making up the law, require otherwise.

It is hard to believe that a highly respectable institution like the House continues to be led by a person with the status of a suspect. If Akbar remains in his present position, there will be many activities in the House that will become less effective and this situation will certainly raise protests from legislators, especially considering that we are now in the reform era.

From an ethical and moral viewpoint, Akbar Tandjung, as a statesman, had better resign or declare himself to be temporarily a non-active legislator.

I believe that Akbar Tandjung will listen to public aspirations and understand moral and ethical values. If he magnanimously decides to step down and wait for another opportunity in the 2004 general election, he will heed moral and ethical values. It must be borne in mind that morality and ethics are part of any political campaign.

WAWAN IRIAWAN

Jakarta