Yusril: Good Regulations Suboptimal Without Strong Moral Foundation

Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has stated that experience shows good regulations will not function optimally without a strong moral and ethical foundation within society. During an audience with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) in Jakarta on Tuesday, he noted the government has built a strong legal framework, including for eradicating corruption. “From a regulatory perspective, our legal instruments are very strong, and law enforcement is complete. But why do various problems, including corruption, continue to occur? This means there is a more fundamental issue, namely the weakening of ethics, character, and morals,” Yusril said. He stressed that the new generation must be built with strong character to prevent various forms of violence and deviant behaviour in the future. However, Yusril conveyed that efforts to prevent violence against women and children are long-term tasks requiring collaboration from all stakeholders. “This is a major task that requires shared commitment; the government cannot work alone. Synergy among all parties is key to building a safe environment for women and children while strengthening the nation’s character,” he said. He therefore appreciated the PPPA Ministry’s initiative to make character building a vital part of its violence prevention strategy. According to him, the success of prevention depends heavily on the ability to build public awareness through instilling religious, moral, and ethical values from an early age within the family. Minister of PPPA Arifah explained that the challenge is similar to the issue of corruption, which also cannot be resolved solely through legal approaches. She added that character strengthening is an essential foundation for building a society with integrity and preventing various forms of violence. “Corruption and violence against women and children cannot be solved by regulation alone,” Arifah stated. She also emphasised that her ministry continues to strengthen the role of the family as the first educational environment for instilling religious values, noble character, and ethics in children. The Minister assessed that character formed from an early age will be crucial for children to build healthy, safe, and violence-free lives. She expressed appreciation for Yusril’s views, considering them strategic input for strengthening the direction of policies and programmes to prevent violence against women and children.