Mahfud MD Explains The Bad Nature Of Indonesians In Today's History, July 4, 2020

Mahfud MD, who served as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs for the 2019-2024 era. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA History today, five years ago, July 4, 2020, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam), Mahfud MD revealed the bad nature of Indonesians, from hypocritics to believing in tahayul. This attitude was attended because of the weak application of Pancasila values.

Previously, a well-known Indonesian journalist, Mochtar Lubis, first revealed the bad nature of Indonesians. He said Indonesians have hypocritical traits, are reluctant to be responsible, have a feudal spirit, believe tahaul, and have a weak character.

The image of Indonesians who often hold ethnic customs is common knowledge. This attitude is because Indonesians are considered to uphold manners and mutual cooperation. No one doubts the value of the kindness of the customs.

Mochtar Lubis is the same. The senior journalist admitted that he was a good and creative Indonesian person. However, not by selling his political elite life. Mochtar, who was once in prison at the Old Order and the New Order, also expressed criticism regarding the bad nature of Indonesians.

He delivered this criticism in a cultural speech at Taman Ismail Marzuki on April 6, 1977. The bad traits in question are hypocritics, irresponsible, feudal souls, beliefs and weak character.

The depiction of Mochtar is not without reason. He summarized it from various eras of revolution, the Old Order, to the New Order era. According to him, the most obvious feature seen is hypocritics, aka hypocritical.

Political elites may say that the law basically upholds justice. Reality on the ground says otherwise. Those who do not have one can be detained. However, those who have it can be free and passing by. Mochtar considered the speech as a powerful way to make the Indonesian people aware specifically for political elites.

Even though his speech even drew a lot of criticism. Mochtar is considered too quick to draw conclusions. Not to mention that Mochtar is considered to be degrading to the dignity of the Indonesian people.

"We all condemn corruption, or the new term commercialization of office, but we continue to commit corruption from day to day corruption only increases. This kind of hypocritical Indonesian human attitude that allows corruption to take place continuously."

"Corruption even lasted for a dozen years at Pertamina, for example, and although the facts are clear and clear, but to this day no legal action has been taken against the main perpetrators," said Mochtar Lubis in his speech as quoted in the book Manusia Indonesia (2017).

Criticism from Mochtar Lubis is actually still relevant today. The situation of the Indonesian political elite has not changed much from the New Order era. The corruption even tends to increase. This condition was agreed by Mahfud MD. The Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs witnessed how the application of Pancasila values began to fade.

The application of the Pancasila value began to weaken. This condition made Mahfud assess what Mochtar Lubis revealed in the New Order era to show the truth on July 4, 2020. Mahfud emphasized that actually Indonesians are not doing well very well.

He emphasized that this condition was present in the hypocritic nature, reluctant to be responsible, the feudal soul, belief in tahaul, and the weak character. Mahfud MD also assessed that his statement of the bad nature of Indonesians must be seen from the eyes of criticism. A criticism that Indonesians must return to the values of Pancasila.

"AILing will eradicate corruption but if there is an opportunity he will be corrupt. Prohibiting people from doing things but there is an opportunity for him to be the first to be in a lot of trouble. For example, if there is a mistake, he says I am only carrying out my duties, I will continue to move forward and never back because for me the responsibility is to go forward, not back."

"Moreover, I was declared not guilty by law, then accused, and then indicated. Likes to share positions, likes to ask for positions through tribute and so on. Selection is looking for shamans, looking for proposals, bathing in the middle of the night using orange water mixed with cates leaves and so on, that's tahaul," said Mahfud as quoted on the coil page, July 4, 2020.