The founding fathers of this nation gave the best example to us all that a leader must be prepared to live simply and even suffer for the welfare of the people.
By
SUKIDI
·5 minutes read
DOKUMENTASI PRIBADI SUKIDI
Sukidi
After 76 years of freedom from colonialism, we continue to see leaders who still possess a colonial mentality. Like the colonialists, they exploit the wealth of the country for personal interests. They pursue luxury lifestyles. Ironically, leaders of this kind are proud to exhibit personal luxury amidst the suffering of the poor. What is wrong with some of our leaders today?
Many leaders think only about what they can take from, as opposed what they can give to, the country. Leaders of this type have betrayed the spirit of the nation\'s founding fathers. This republic was founded by those who fully embodied the spirit of service for the progress of the country and its people. Soekarno, Mohammad Hatta, and Agus Salim were among the nation\'s founding fathers who set an example by dedicating their lives to Indonesia.
For the sake of dedicating himself to the country and the people, Soekarno chose to live a simple life: "I am the only president in the world who does not own a house. Recently, my people raised funds to build a house for me, but the next day I forbade it. This is contrary to my stance. I don\'t want to take anything from my people. I just want to give to them” (Asvi W. Adam, 2010:41). As the nation’s founder, Soekarno set the best example of ethical statesmanship, that being a leader is a life’s calling and lifelong dedication, crying and laughing with the people, and without thinking about taking even a little bit from his people, but instead enlivening the spirit of devotion to serving the people.
Like Soekarno, Mohammad Hatta was legendary for his adopting a very simple way of life. After resigning as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia in 1956, Hatta did not have enough pension funds to pay his electricity and water bills, and his dream of owning a pair of Bally shoes did not come true until the end of his life.
Meutia Hatta, Hatta\'s eldest daughter, once read the will Hatta had written in 1975: “When I die, I want to be buried in Jakarta where Indonesian independence was proclaimed. I don\'t want to be buried in the Heroes’ Cemetery [Kalibata]. I want to be buried in a cemetery for ordinary people, the fates of whom I have fought for my whole life.” The message in Hatta’s will certainly excites our conscience, because we are made aware of Hatta\'s spirit of devotion as well as his exemplary life, which was fully dedicated to his country and its people. Hatta wholeheartedly enlivened the purpose of the lives of ordinary people, and with full awareness chose to pursue a very simple way of life like that of ordinary people.
ANRI/MOHD. IRSJAD
From left to right: Chairman of the 2nd National Games (PON) Grand Committee Dr. A. Halim, President Soekarno, Vice President Moh. Hatta and the Chairman of KOI Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX were watching the lowering of the heritage flag of the 2nd PON, 1951.
Both Soekarno and Hatta set the best examples of the importance of the spirit of dedication to their country and people. The logical consequence of this spirit of dedication was the sincerity with which they lived by walking the path of suffering alongside their people. Therefore, the nation’s founding fathers were willing to devote their minds and hearts to living a simple life and even sharing in their people’s suffering for the sake of the future of a wealthy, prosperous, and democratic Indonesia.
Last but not least, no other national founding figure is simpler than Agus Salim. He lived from one rented house to another, lived without electricity, and did not own a house until the end of his life. In 1925, Kasman and Soeparno, both students of Stovia, invited Mohammad Roem to Agus Salim\'s house on Tanah Tinggi Street in Jakarta. During the meeting, Kasman said, “The path of a leader is not an easy path. Being a leader is the path of suffering.”
According to Mohammad Roem, “Kasman\'s words have no literary meaning when they are said in Dutch. In Dutch, there are two words that sound the same but are written differently: leiden (to lead) and lijden (to suffer)” (Mohammad Roem, Prisma, No. 8, 1977). Mohammad Roem\'s statement reflects the importance of leadership as a path of suffering, like that pursued by Agus Salim.
Finally, the founding fathers of this nation gave the best example to us all that a leader must be prepared to live simply and even suffer for the welfare of the people. Beyond their simple lives and life suffering, the nation’s founding fathers gave birth to great ideas about Indonesia as a modern nation-state.
Ironically in the present day, our leaders have fallen into undignified politics rather than thinking about this republic with big ideas about Indonesia\'s dream to become a developed country in the future so we can escape the “curse” of the Nobel economics laureate, Karl Gunnar Myrdal (1968), who categorized Indonesia as a "soft state".
