War against corruption

War against corruption

The Jakarta Post published on July 8 an interesting article
Fighting graft, Susilo needs to fight against the odd. The
writer seems unsure whether our President will succeed in
fighting graft after many other post-Soeharto era presidents have
failed.

Despite being a predominantly Muslim country, Indonesia is
constantly ranked as one of the most corrupt nations in the
world. The President said this in front of 20,000 Muhammadiyah
members: "Islam is not wrong. We, the believers, are to blame
because we are incapable of embracing the spirit of its moral
teachings".

Susilo wanted the second-largest Muslim organization with an
estimated 30 million members to lead the war against corruption.
The question is, can Muhammadiyah rise to the challenge?

It is high time the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a
fatwa (ruling) to Muslims here: "Corruption or receiving gifts
or money in return for winning a contract shall now be considered
haram."

This wrongdoing should be punished according to how bad the
effect of corruption is. Penalties could range from a light jail
term to a death sentence -- the sentence that befell China's big-
time graft criminals several years ago. Why did the Chinese
courts give out death sentences to those convicted for
corruption? Because graft is very dangerous; it can damage the
structure and the life of a nation and its government.

If we want to build this country properly, we have to enforce
the law. So Muslims in Indonesia, please, contemplate this matter
for the sake of God and the nation.

AGUS UTORO
Serang, Banten