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