True leader from 2004 elections?

True leader from 2004 elections?

From Suara Karya

In times of trouble or a succession of national leadership, part of the Javanese community will talk about the imminent appearance of a satrio piningit (knight in seclusion), meaning a true leader who will emerge to bring about improvements in society.

With the progress in national life, however, rational and logical thinking should replace such concepts. In order to avoid unnecessary curiosity over who will be that figure, let us deal with the matter by means of common sense and critical reasoning.

The word seclusion suggests that the leader will not appear all at once, but rather he or she will have to undergo a long process of preparation. This is exactly the case with a presidential candidate, who has to go through a transparent direct election.

Whether or not the sixth president of Indonesia as elected in the recent poll is the "true leader" coming out of seclusion, as perceived by the Javanese, is up to this community to answer. But by modern reasoning, this type of leader is expected to emerge not only from the 2004 elections but also from subsequent democratic elections.

Meanwhile, the true leader in the Javanese concept implies a national figure with great wisdom, justice and a great sense of responsibility, the main qualities expected from a national leader at all times.

MASKURUN MULYOSUKARTO Depok, West Java