Megawati: Politics Must Be Oriented To Improve The Quality Of National Civilization

Megawati Soekarno Putri. (Photo: Doc Antara)

JAKARTA - The Fifth President of the Republic of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, said that politics must be oriented towards improving the quality of a nation's civilization.

This was conveyed by Megawati in a scientific oration entitled "Cultural Road and Civilization Meeting Point" to award the title of honorary professor in tourism and cultural heritage from Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage (IUTCH), Uzbekistan.

"With his character like this, politics is responsible for the future of mankind in the world," Megawati said in a statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Saturday, September 21.

He revealed that in his understanding of human civilization, he was taught by Soekarno or Bung Karno.

"For me personally, Bung Karno is a father figure and at the same time a teacher. He taught me that politics is life," he said.

Bung Karno also taught that the people are a source of culture. The meaning of the source of culture is very broad.

He said humans as social creatures unite themselves in their social community, and build culture together, until the nations are born.

In the nation community, a common will is created, rules of living together, commitments to agreed values, and building group morality, to the system of national life through the legal order of the state.

According to Megawati, culture is the way of civilization for mankind. By placing the people as a source of culture, the meaning of the power of the leaders also departs from the whole collective will of the people they lead.

"Whatever power the leader has, it cannot be separated from the collective will of the people who formed it," said Megawati.

But in practice, said Megawati, many leaders broke away from the essence of power. And for him, if the leader escapes from the ideas or ideas that formed him, then the leader loses the essence of his power and just becomes an actor.

"If the leader releases himself from the ideas or ideas that form it, then the leader loses the essence of power and just becomes an actor. It is this actor who then justify the policies he takes," he added.

"For the sake of justification, the power possessed by actors can lead to violence, including using the law to defend his power. This phenomenon has resulted in changes in the behavior of the leader's power," he concluded

The following is a list of honorary titles obtained by Megawati:1. Waseda University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, September 29, 2001 (Political Midfield).2. Moscow State of International Relations (MGIMO), Moscow, Russia, April 22, 2003 (Political Midfield).3. Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan, South Korea, October 19, 2015 (Political Midfield)4. Padjadjaran University (UNPAD), Bandung, Indonesia, October 25, 2016 (Political and Government Midfield).5. Padang State University (UNP), Padang City, Indonesia, 27 September 2017 (Political Education Midfield).6. Mokpo National University, Mokpo City, South Korea, November 16, 2017 (Economic Democracy Midfield).7. Domestic Government Institute (IPDN), Bandung, Indonesia, March 8, 2018 (Political and Government Midfield).8. Fujian Normal University (FNU), Fuzhou, Fujian, China, 5 November 2018 (Soka University of Economic Diplomacy).9. Soka Japan, Tokyo, Japan, January 8, 2020 (Semerity Midfield).10. Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia, October 2, 2023 (Social Midfield).

Here are two honorary professors Megawati:1. Seoul Institute of the Arts (SIA), Seoul, South Korea, 11 May 2022 (Armed Policy and Creative Economy Division). 2. Defense University (IDU) RI, Bogor, Indonesia, 11 June 2021 (Bidang Il)