Choosing a leader who is only capable of inciting the people, spreading hatred, falsehood and hypocrisy and behaving not according to his words will lead the people to a misguided path.
By
J Kristiadi
·5 minutes read
KUM
J Kristiadi
Once upon a time, around 39 BC, Julius Caesar won a colossal war against the Galea tribe. The victory jacked up his popularity. The glorious victory encouraged him to attempt to conquer the Italian territory that was separated by the Rubicon River. The Senate was worried that if he was more successful, his popularity would threaten the Senate. The Senate then ordered Julius Caesar to go back to Rome without bringing his troops who were very loyal to him.
Julius Caesar faced a dilemmatic political choice. By going back to Rome, he would be brought to court because the war against the Galeans was not approved by the Senate. If he was determined to continue his territorial ambitions, he had to cross the Rubicon River, which meant disobeying the orders of the Senate.
Finally, he decided to continue the war by saying a sentence that is well known to this day; Alea Iacta Est (the dice had been thrown) — the war had to continue. The story carried on, resulting in the Roman civil war. Julius Caesar won and thus was the beginning of the Roman Empire, replacing the Roman Republic.
This legend was similar to a fragment of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's speech at the Projo National Working Meeting in Magelang, Central Java. The sentence was: "Ojo kesusu [don’t be in a hurry], even though there may be one of the presidential candidates [Ganjar Pranowo] here". Even though it was said in a flat tone with a smile, this expression was considered by many to be a war drum against the other presidential candidates. More than that, he seemed to be drawing a firm line with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which was divided between the supporters of Puan Maharani and Ganjar Pranowo. Public perception was that he was ready to face Megawati Soekarnoputri. President Joko Widodo's siding was like political dynamite that could shake up the world of national politics, and cause his relationship with Megawati to begin to crack.
Public allegations that President Joko Widodo supports Ganjar Pranowo are understandable considering the electability of the Central Java governor is increasing. For example a Charta Politica survey released this month showed that among the electability of 10 names, Ganjar Pranowo won 31.2 percent, Prabowo Subianto received 23.4 percent and Anies Baswedan 20 percent. An SMRC poll from 10-17 May on the electability of three names showed Ganjar Pranowo won 30.3 percent, Prabowo Subianto 27.3 percent and Anies Baswedan 22.6 percent, with those who selected“ don't know” at 19.9 percent.
However, the public was mistaken, President Joko Widodo's speech was very different from Julius Caesar's declaration of war. After the speech, President Joko Widodo and Megawati looked more intimate, like the love relationship between a mother and her son. On various occasions, for example during a one-on-one meeting at the State Palace before the inauguration of the chairman and deputy chairman, as well as the steering board of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency on 7 June and the inauguration of the At-Taufiq Mosque in South Jakarta on 8 June, President Joko Widodo seemed to have great respect for Megawati, the general chair of the PDI-P. At the same time, Megawati was very motherly. The intimacy of the two political figures in Greek is called agape. This means love that is based on a very strong inner bond. Sibling love, not just friendship because of mutual dependence on each other. Agape is the highest form of human love. Not eros, love that is driven by sexual desire.
In the perspective of local (Javanese) culture, the President's expression is called sanepo, smoothing a harsh sentence into a narrative with a noble nuance. It is said that this culture originated from the habits of court poets who wanted to uphold noble values. Its meaning is only understood by the speaker himself or someone who has nggetih (a very close inner relationship). The statesmanship model of the two figures can be used as a model of political communication so that political battles do not become wars that destroy each side.
The 2024 election must be used as an opportunity to build healthy political culture. Therefore, at least two important and basic requirements are required. First, the President must obey the principles of the raison d’etre (main reason) for the existence of the Indonesian state as affirmed by the preamble to the 1945 Constitution. The point is to protect the entire Indonesian nation and the entire homeland of Indonesia, promote public welfare, educate the nation and participate in implementing world order based on freedom, eternal peace and social justice. Deviation from the basic reasons means the abolition of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Second, presidential candidates are required to have competence, to manage and control enormous power: the executive, legislative and judicature that the people have entrusted to them. Choosing a leader who is only capable of inciting the people, spreading hatred, falsehood and hypocrisy and behaving not according to his words will lead the people to a misguided path. As a result, behavior that destroys civilization becomes a habit and is considered normal. In the long term, public policies are made on the basis of habits (habitus) that increasingly destroy common life, such as corruption.
J KRISTIADI, Senior researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
